The New Era: Book One
by KorvasTerindar
Summary: After flying for some time, an alarming accident forces the group to delay their journey for a brief rest, Though it does not go as expected as the team awakens to find a shade amongst them.
1. Chapter 1

Well on the advice of some of my Fans I decided to put this story in the category it should have been in to begin with. So here is the first chapter of my Eragon Story. Enjoy at you leisure. Pleae R&R.

Chapter 1

'At last it is done!' were the words that flew from Eragon's mouth as Galbatorix fell with a scream at his feet. At long last it was finally over, the tyrant of Alagaesia defeated, the dragons and Riders alike avenged. Saphira had ceased her battle with Shruikan as the dark magic's that bound him were lifted. Eragon found that despite the great loathing he had felt for the monster that lay dead at his feet, he now could not help but feel pity for the creature of whose life he had willing ended. Shruikan shook his head experimentally, his mind had cleared of the fog that had been put there by Galbatorix and now that he was free what was he to do now? He had spent all of the hundred years of his life hunting down and slaying those who were meant to train him and raise him with nobility. He had committed so many crimes that he felt as if he little deserved he life he still had. He limped over to the corpse of the man who had imprisoned him, disregarding the raised sword of the rider completely.

He stopped in front of the body and looked into the blank eyes, he looked at peace but he had never been at peace in life. He mentally spoke to Eragon, '_Rider, I have no words to express my gratitude for my freedom but…'_ He looked away in shame trying also not to look at the beauty with which he had battled as he continued, '_I little think that I deserve to continue to live. I took many lives of other dragons and Riders. I cannot see any way to repent of my crimes.'_ Eragon lowered his sword slowly, looking at the black dragon with apparent concern. He had worked for so long to this moment but had never once considered what he might do if they freed Shruikan rather than killed him. He couldn't think of what to say to him but thankfully Saphira intervened, _'I know not if it will help but I don't blame you for your actions. I hope that you can see that your actions were not your own.'_ Eragon looked at her, slightly surprised by her voice. It wasn't at all like it had been, it was feminine, a cool, clear female voice. It was quite surprising but he found that he quite liked the new voice; had it always been there? Shruikan looked at Saphira, his eyes were wet with sorrow s he spoke in a broken voice, '_I can't let go of the death that I have caused so easily. If you or your Rider can show me one clear path to the redeeming of my honor then I will follow it.'_

Eragon looked at Saphira and saw his desire to help Shruikan reflected in her eyes, but he couldn't think of anyway of helping him. Saphira looked out of the rain fogged window, thinking. She could see one way of redeeming the black dragon but she knew that Eragon would refuse flat out and she herself didn't much like the idea of having him continue the Dragon race with her. As a fact of the matter, she detested the idea, but her options were limited. As she opened her mind to ask the dragon, Eragon's voice was suddenly sharp in her mind, _'Saphira! You can't possibly ask him that!? I won't let you!' _She snapped back at him with her old, dragonish voice, _'You cannot tell me what to do, Eragon! My choices are severely limited. Who would you have me take as my mate!? I can't take you, Thorn has fled with Murtagh, and Glaedr is dead.'_ Eragon had no answer for her; she was right on all counts. He couldn't fill the roll, this much was certain. Murtagh had vanished and Glaedr had died, the third un-hatched dragon had been sent elsewhere when Galbatorix realized that Uru'Baen was no longer safe.

She opened her mind again to ask Shruikan when a loud crash reverberated throughout the room. They all looked at the door as it bowed inward. Another crash came from the door and Saphira looked at Shruikan quickly and spoke to him quickly, _'Shruikan, you must flee. I don't know if they will let you live regardless of your freedom from Galbatorix.'  
'Please don't argue!'_ Saphira cut in suddenly as Shruikan showed every sign of interrupting. On her last words Shruikan turned and flapped towards the ceiling. With an almighty crash he flew through the stone ceiling and off into the black clouded sky. A second crash came as the door was smashed off its hinges. Nasuada marched through the broken twin doors with a procession of soldiers, all of whom were blood stained and soaked. She looked down upon the body of Galbatorix as her soldiers cheered behind her. She looked up at Eragon with a smile on her face and said, 'I am glad that you have lived Eragon, I was afraid that you would have at least weakened him but see you have gone on and destroyed him. Very well done indeed. Just one last bit of business remains.' Eragon nodded and looked at the throne behind him before saying, 'Aye, the crowning of the next leader of Alagaesia.' Nasuada looked at the turned back of Eragon before saying, 'No that is not the last bit of business' she snapped her fingers and before Eragon knew what was happening they were surrounded by at least fifty of Nasuada's elite soldiers.

Saphira snarled as Eragon demanded, 'What is the meaning of this?!' She sneered at his lack of logic, as she so greatly possessed, 'Magic was the cause of all of this suffering and dragons were the cause of magic. Your dragon is the only one who can continue the dragon race and I'll not permit that to happen. Magic will be put to an end, starting with you.' She waved her hand at the soldiers who all pulled back on the strings of their bows. Saphira dove forward and snapped at the archers before using her tail to flip Eragon onto her back. He landed squarely onto the saddle and looked at the treacherous Nasuada. 'I will not allow your treachery to end the dragon race. If I must then I will kill you.' He focused on his magic before uttering a word of death. The wards that should have protected her failed as his magic sapped the power of the mages that guarded her. Her face showed nothing but shock as her eyes rolled upwards and she and the rest of the mages fell to the ground dead. The soldiers who saw the death of their leader looked at the Rider in shock; he had just killed the one he was sworn to protect. Eragon looked at the man who had been standing to the right of Nasuada and said, 'Jormundur, as my last act as Rider in Alagaesia, I appoint you temporary king of the land until you can find one whom you think would be better situated for the role.' Jormundur looked at Eragon weakly and asked, 'Can you not do it yourself?' Eragon shook his head and said, 'I have seen too much death and have been betrayed too many times to stay here. I shall leave Alagaesia and return to the elves where my cousin now lives.'

Jormundur nodded glumly before ordering the soldiers to stand down. Eragon spoke mentally to Saphira, '_I am sorry that I had to do that, but I had no other choice._' He heard her sigh before she answered, '_I don't blame you, your way was better than mine, that's for sure_.' Jormundur cleared his throat and spoke to the Rider, 'I swear to you, I had no idea of Nasuada's plans.' Eragon shook his head, dismissing the reason and said, 'I need not your reasons, all that matters is that her treachery is over before it could fully begin. I only hope that you'll lead these people on a path of peace rather than the path that she had planned. The deaths would only have grown.' Jormundur nodded and gave out his first instructions as king as Eragon spoke to Saphira, 'Come on. Let's leave this place.' She growled in agreement and rose into the air, straight through the hole that she herself had made minutes before. The rain was thick and heavy as she flew slowly northeast. She was exhausted and she knew Eragon was likewise equal in weariness. Soon the rains would become too heavy for flight and she must put down soon or risk killing both herself and Eragon. She scanned the carnage filled plains below her for any sign of a place to land for rest but she soon saw that landing in the havoc torn lands would be equally as dangerous as staying aloft.

The twisted metal, splintered wood, charcoaled bodies of soldiers were everywhere she looked, the superheated armor of soldier's still pouring steam into the air as the rain attempted to still the flames of her dragon fire. A fork of lightning illuminated the sky, soon followed by a clap of thunder. Eragon felt the next lightning strike building near him and Saphira. He turned his head sharply to look, wondering how they were going to avoid it in the tired state that they were in. What he saw surprised him out of his sleep deprived lethargy. What appeared to be a pure white dragon of immense size flew beside them, its eyes where silver green and fixed directly on Eragon. He cried out to Saphira, '_Saphira on our Right, look quickly!_' His cry alarmed her and she rolled over to avoid an unseen foe. As soon as she righted herself, she quickly scanned the horizon but saw nothing. '_Eragon! What did you see, where did it go?!_' Eragon looked down at her in surprise, the dragon was looking directly at himself and Saphira but unless she was lying and it would be nearly impossible for her to do so; she could not see the Dragon. Saphira swayed her long neck, her eyes scanning for any sign of the attacker but she saw nothing.

Eragon looked at the dragon and tried to contact it mentally. The dragon's eyes hardened as it felt the Rider's mind touch his own; but he reasoned that the rider had not known of him and therefore would not know of such disrespect. Eragon gently felt the dragons mind and soon a voice thundered through his mind, '_Rider! Your ignorance alone is all that stops me from breaking your mind. I will forgive you this once._' Eragon yelped and clutched his head as the reprimand echoed in his head. Saphira felt his pain and craned her head to look at him in concern. She tried to contact him but her thoughts were blocked by something unknown. The white dragon looked at Eragon, (who by now had judged that the dragon was male) wondering if it were the best alternative. The dragon spoke again to Eragon, in a much calmer voice that was bearable to Eragon, '_Rider, your love worries for you so I shall make this brief._' He paused here as Eragon looked at the dragon confused but he knew enough not to interrupt; this dragon was obviously of enormous importance. Only one thing he had said bothered him, his love?

The dragon spoke again to Eragon, _'It is not important that you know who I am right now. What is important is the role that you must play.'_ He paused again as if inviting Eragon to ask a question. Eragon looked at the Dragon and said nothing; even if he was allowed to speak for the moment he wouldn't dare chance it. The Dragon looked at Eragon as if he was judging the rider and continued, _'You still have a roll to play Eragon Shadeslayer. The time of your death is not now. Though the war is now over the struggle has only just begun. Many things hang in the balance of your decisions Rider Eragon, and all of them revolve around the role you play and the one you have yet to choose for yourself.'  
_The Dragon paused and looked up. It was only now that Eragon realized that the heavy rain fall had paused in time itself. Each rain drop hung suspended improbably in midair before him. _'Remember my words Rider,'_ spoke the dragon, drawing Eragon's attention back to the dragon. He opened his mouth as a question burned in him. Before he had even formed the words to ask it the Dragon pulled his wings back and with a mighty roar the shook Eragon to the marrow, he flapped his wings once in one powerful movement.

The moment he had done so the rain continued to pound down and the Dragon vanished. Before he could do any thing else, an incredibly powerful gust of wind slammed against Saphira. She hurtled backwards, her wings flailing pathetically in the gale. A split second later a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, in the exact spot that she and Eragon had been mere seconds before. Eragon was stunned, that dragon had just done several things that were impossible all in the space of a few seconds. He had saved both Saphira and himself from being killed by a lightning strike, halted time itself, and vanished into thin air to who knows where. After a few moments Saphira righted herself and shouted mentally to Eragon, '_Eragon! Answer me, please!!_' Eragon cringed at the shout, his head still pounding from the white dragons roar. He answered as quickly as he could while his head swam in pain, '_Saphira, I am fine._' She twisted her head around to glare at him with one piercing blue eye and shouted back, '_Why didn't you answer me when I tried to talk to you?!_'

He looked at her surprised; she had not seen the massive dragon that had just been in front of them, he had gathered as much, but surely she must have heard him through their link. He asked her if she had seen or heard the dragon but he felt nothing but confusion emanating from her. She asked him in a confused tone, _'Eragon, what are you talking about? I saw no other dragon in front of us.'_ She swerved her head around, scanning the sky for any sign of another dragon. Eragon looked at her back and sighed, _'Saphira, for the moment we should land and rest. I'll explain what happened after we get some sleep.'_ She let out a huffy snort and flew towards a forest that they had been blown towards by the same gust of wind. They were both hoping for a long rest.

Saphira landed with a soft thud in onto the cold, hard forest floor. Eragon stood on the saddle and stretched, his tired muscles screaming in protest as he stretched them, then turned to slid down off the saddle. As he slid his foot caught in something. Saphira let out an ear splitting screeching roar of agony. Eragon jumped up from the ground quickly and as his eyes fell on Saphira his heart lurched. Her hide was covered in gauges, from minor to severe; her blood was trickling to the forest floor. Disregarding his own wounds and lack of energy, he ran forward and screamed, 'Waise heill!' He felt his energy draining rapidly, causing his muscles to tense and his vision to blur. '_No… I must hold on._' he thought to himself as he swayed from the effort. He spread his mind out and touched the life of the forest and said in the Ancient language, '_Creature's of the forest, forgive what I must do.'_ With that he drained the required energy from the forest around him. Fighting urge to vomit as he felt everything around him die as their life energy flowed into his spell.

Saphira's wounds knitted close and her bleeding stop, her yells of pain died down and were silenced. He felt his life draining through his magic, his will was fading and he could no longer control his spell, all of her little wounds were healing under his magic. A large tail collided with him and knocked him flat, breaking Eragon's link to magic and sparing his life. '_Little one, you shouldn't have done that. I would have been alright.'_ Saphira crawled over to Eragon in an exhausted way and laid herself down next to him. He looked into her warm blue eyes and said, _'Damn your dragon pride. Just tell me when your wounds are severe and I'll do everything I can to help you.'_ She snorted in amusement; her rider was stubborn, perhaps as stubborn as she was at times. But she always knew that he could unbend his pride for her and others. '_Saphira?_' Eragon whispered quietly to her mind, his tired mind beginning to shut down. _'Yes little one?'_ Saphira inquired. _'Saphira, do you love me?' _

She looked at him, shocked. Surely through all that they had been through together, Eragon must by now know that she loved him. _'Of course I do, why would you ask that?'_ Eragon crawled to her side and curled up close against her, her warmth comforting to his sore muscles. _'Because I love you too, there is no other that I can imagine spending my life with Saphira, not since that night.'_ She looked at him, pondering the meaning of his words. She knew that he loved her, that much had always been clear, but what he was saying didn't sound like that. _'Eragon, what are you getting at? I don't quite understand what you mean.'_ He looked at her and said in a clear voice, _'Saphira, you are one of the few that I consider family, but the feeling is different and it has been different for som time now.'_ His vision slowly faded as sleep began to fall on him like fog on a mountain. As his head dropped to his chest and his link to Saphira was severed, he mentally caressed her spirit with his feelings. It wasn't an odd thing for her, but some how she felt it differently than it had done. She couldn't explain why that was, but for some reason she felt contented b the simple gesture of affection. They had been through so such that it seemed only natural to her that the thing that had grown accustomed to should mean more to her. Nevertheless the touch caused her looked away in shame. She knew of the sacrifice that he would make for her but he couldn't follow that path and neither could she. It just wasn't possible for her to live with the decision, but his love for her was true and she felt it even now as he slept.

She laid her head down next to Eragon, as close as she could without suffocating him and thought about something reckless but potentially enlightening. She reached out gently with her mind and felt his, she felt his consciousness, wrapped comfortably in sleep and peace. Gently she pushed past his subconscious defenses and allowed his dream to enter her mind.  
_She saw the sea, gently rushing against the shore in the light of the setting sun. The fields of grass that lay behind her were gently rolling in the lazy afternoon breeze. Saphira notice the feel of a presence in the dream and the eyes of Eragon, of whose view she was sharing, shifted to look at something hidden in the shadows. It was only now that she realized that Eragon stood easily four times taller than he was now. This troubled her because she could not think why that would be. She heard the rustling of the bushes and returned her attention to the trees. She saw to Sapphire blue eyes appear in the darkness of the bushes. They rustled again, and then came the sound of snapping twigs, Eragon laughed softly and crouched down. A sudden flash of color and then…_

'_Ow!_' Exclaimed Saphira mentally as she pulled away from Eragon's dream. She looked down and saw that she had shifted position onto Eragon's sword. It hadn't cut her but it did sting seeing as it had wedged itself between her scales. She moved again and the sword fell away from her gut. Laying her head back down she thought about what she had seen. Eragon's height in the dream, that was certainly unusual, perhaps he had been standing on an outcrop of rock; that would explain why he was so high up. Those sapphire eyes, were they hers? Surely they must have been but before she had pulled away she had seen something that would contradict that idea. The flash of color was silver, not blue. Perhaps it was the effect of the Setting sun in the background. She sighed in an exhausted way, 'I need sleep, maybe I'll ask him tomorrow morning She'd ask him about the dream.' She looked back down at Eragon and gave his sleeping figure a warm, dragon smile.

She gently licked his face before settling her head down again. She thought about the flash of silver for a few more minutes before her tired body rushed to welcome a dreamless sleep. As the pounding rain continued to fall all around them, an elf stepped out from behind a tree soundlessly. His appearance was radically different from that of any other elf. His skin was a pale white, his eyes were narrow and the pupils were cat like and gold. His hair was bright silver that hung down past his waist, and his mouth was split in a broad smile that revealed two fang like teeth. His appearance would frighten but he was handsome and gave off a feel of power that didn't alarm. He chuckled softly and spoke to himself,  
'Oh young dragoness, you cannot yet see the future in front of you, no one could but know this, I will be watching and time will deliver what you most want.' His eyes shifted to Eragon as he continued, 'One way or another.' He turned and looked up the rain filled clouds before he finished, 'You two carry a bond that no other in history has ever had, so soft and powerful that anyone who shares your mind is humbled. Do not deny it, let it grow and develop. Maybe one day you will see as my eyes can.'

On that enigmatic note he vanished in the sound of thunder strike, with a flash of white hair.

Tell me what you thought, your reviews, negative or positive, only serve to make me better.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two. As I should have told you in the first chapter, this story is based on fictional events that I created based after the end of the series. As no one other than Paolini himself knows the real ending, then I'll have to make it up as I go along. I only used the characters and places. All other events are my own. So now that I've delivered that tidbit, Enjoy! Please R&R.-

Chapter 2

Saphira stirred restlessly. Her dreams were troubled with visions of her past, filled with blood soaked fields, gore covered soldiers, and the eyes of soldiers as they burst into flames. She tried to push the images away but they kept returning some more violent and disturbing than others. The frightened cries of children, the weeping of mothers and wives, and the laughter of those cruel monsters at the sound of their victims suffering. _'Saphira?' _Eragon's voice was a welcome relieve to Saphira's troubled sleep. '_Saphira, Are you alright, your scales are burning.'_ Saphira lifted her right wing to vent some heat away from Eragon and replied, _'I'm alright Eragon; It was just a nightmare. Memories of the past horrors that we witnessed was all it was.' _Eragon sighed, he had long suspected that those atrocities would come back and haunt their sleep, it was always to be expected. _'Saphira, I knew that these things would haunt us, all we can hope for is that we will some how be able to cope with them in the future.'_ Saphira looked up at the Grey and black sky, occasional claps of thunder shattered the near total silence. It had been so casual to slaughter those men, so easy… In spite of all the killing it had never affected her so why had it started to now? She slowly stood up and surveyed the surroundings. She hadn't noticed it before but everything within a twenty foot radius had died. Trees were brown and drooping, animals lay dead in several places, and some seemed to have died mid actions, others peacefully in their sleep. _'Eragon, you shouldn't have done this. Haven't we killed enough already?' _Eragon looked around at the destruction that he had caused and sighed, it was true that the sacrifice of so many lives was wrong but when it came to Saphira he didn't care what he did. All that mattered was making sure that she was happy and well.

Saphira let out a loud sigh as the rain began to fall again and asked Eragon in a resigned sort of way, _'Should we rest another day and wait for the rain to pass or do you want to get moving in the rain?' _Eragon looked up into the sky and tried to judge if there was any chance that it might become too dangerous to fly through. Eragon decided that if it became too dangerous that they would put down immediately and wait out the storm but he couldn't deny that he was eager to see Roran and his young nephew again. He hadn't had much time to see or say anything to them the last time they had met, shortly after the birth of Roran's son whom he had named Garrow after their father. Katrina had flat out refused to allow Roran to accompany Eragon into battle and He really couldn't blame her. They had had an earsplitting argument that night that finally ended with Roran agreeing to remain behind with her and their baby. Saphira hadn't mentioned it but Eragon could tell that she was jealous of Katrina because of what she had. Katrina had a love and a family but where was Saphira in that field, alone, with only her rider and friends to provide her comfort for her worries and cares. But she felt empty and Eragon knew it, she wanted more than anything to be like other mothers and wives, safe with their husbands, only caring about how to raise their family. Everyone knew that it was extremely unlikely that that would she would ever be able to enjoy those simple pleasures of life. Eragon came to a decision, he and Saphira would fly on until the rain became too thick to fly through and then set down and wait it out. He climbed wearily into the saddle and viewed the surroundings one last time. In all honesty he was angry with himself because of what he had done to the surrounding forest and all its inhabitants. But he couldn't live without Saphira, if she were to die at this very moment, rather than holding on to life and continuing to live; he would willingly pass on into the unknown death so as to continue to live with her.

Eragon's eyes stung with sudden tears as he thought of the Idea of losing her, it was an unbearable truth that one day no matter how far in the future; her light and life was destined to fade from this world. He looked down at Saphira's back at let his tears fall as he thought about all of the things in life that she wanted but would never get. Family, love; all the things that he and thousands more had in abundance but she had none, alone and forgotten. A shining tear slid from his face and fell to his hand. It was a tear that fell for Saphira, for the pain that he felt for her but little did he know that that one tear held more power any the riders had ever cast. It fell upon his hand and a burning pain shot through his hand. His skin writhed and crawled and felt as though dragon fire had been set upon it. As suddenly as the pain started it Stopped and Eragon looked down upon his hand but what he saw nearly made his heart stop. A shinning silver scale glittered like a diamond in the clouded half darkness of the afternoon sky. _'This is impossible, that can't be happening!'_ He thought furiously to himself as he prodded the scale to check that it was genuinely real. He felt the touch of another mind and heard a voice inside his head; one that he had heard before, _'Eragon, know this, love is far more powerful than the most destructive of magics. In time you'll see this as my old eyes now do. In life I would have discouraged such a path but now I see that you would be far happier following this path.' _Eragon was visibly shaking as he asked, _'Brom? Is that you?' _No voice came in response but He was sure that it had been that of Brom. He looked back down at his hand and saw that that scale had turned back to flesh and Eragon decided that he would talk to Arya about this when he next saw her.

* * *

The Rain pounded down harder with each passing minute and even though Saphira flew at a slow pace, each rain drop felt like a stone thrown from a sling. Eragon thought longingly of the tree houses of Ellesméra. He even thought about being in the middle of circle of fire created by Saphira, it would be dangerous but at least he'd be warm and dry. Saphira touched Eragon's mind in a half hearted way, she wanted to talk to him about the dream she had shared with him last night but she was unsure about how he would take it. It was after all a rather large intrusion on his most private of sanctuaries. '_Yes, Saphira? What is it?_' Saphira hesitated, wondering how best to approach what she wanted to talk about. It still seemed to her that what she did was intrusive and wrong but she was eager to hear his side of it. '_I wanted to ask you something about your dream last night Eragon._' Saphira said it in such a bold way that it sounded almost accusatory but it was better to get it out quick than to try to endlessly avoid the subject. Eragon was silent for a few minutes which left Saphira to believe that she had indeed done something wrong but then he answered. '_Saphira I let you view my dream, you needn't feel worried about it. I felt you trying to enter my mind even while I slept and I didn't much feel like pushing you out._' Saphira was silent. The fact that he had allowed her into his mind even when she could have been some mage was incredible. It was possible that at that point he didn't have the strength to resist an intruder and if that were the case the her going to sleep might have endangered both of them. Saphira sighed, it was good to know that he trusted her but what had he meant by letting her view his dream. '_Eragon, what was your dream about?_' Eragon didn't answer immediately, he was thinking about how best to answer her. The truth of he matter was that the dream had represented a deep desire that Eragon only ever considered in dreams but which he refused to accept in reality. To tell her exactly what it meant when he himself felt ashamed of what it held was something that he couldn't handle. He decided to tell her only part of the truth, that way he could satisfy her curiosity and hide its true meaning. '_Saphira, I dreamed about you having everything that you always wanted, a family, love. I thought that you might like to see that I am thinking about that too. I worry about you and your happiness._' Eragon felt Saphira's gratitude and was relieved when she didn't press the matter further. It was true that deep down he admitted to desires that were impossible, thats what dreams were for after all, but when it came to the reality of the dream, thats all it was.

Eragon suddenly remembered the dragon that they had encountered the night before, he had thought about telling Saphira but now it just seemed unimportant. This dragon had saved Eragon and Saphira while displaying abilities that he had thought impossible. Saphira craned her neck to look at Eragon as she felt the wonder emanating from him. 'What are you thinking about, Little One?' Eragon didn't respond immediately as he considered if it was a good idea to tell her about that dragon of the night before. Certainly he should but the fact still remained that he alone had seen it. Could it have all have been a dream brought on by lack of sleep and the gust of wind merely coincidence? Deciding to tell her for her opinion he said, 'I'm fine Saphira, I was just thinking about that dragon I saw last night.' Saphira looked out across the horizon as Eragon began explaining the encounter, intently holding on to every word, trying to make sense of what he told her. It was an impossible event, in more ways than one but that was what added to its wonder because it had happened and both She and Eragon knew it. What bothered her was the message that the Dragon had had for Eragon, it seemed to her that it was telling him something of importance but it hadn't told him exactly what they needed to know. How was Eragon to know the correct path to walk when there were so many different paths to choose. Another thing that bothered her was the humbling feeling she felt when she thought about this dragons description. It was a feeling that made her want to fall to her gut with her head under her wings, an overwhelming feeling of servility that she did not like it. Eragon felt her discomfort but there was nothing he could do to relieve her of the feeling. Several minutes passed and neither of them said anything more about the Dragon or the events of the previous day. Eragon did wonder about what had become of Shruikan but that thought generally led him to one of two topics, Nasuada and Murtagh. He wondered what had happened to Murtagh, his half brother. Granted that ever since Murtagh had been enslaved by Galbatorix, Eragon had refused to think about Murtagh as a brother at all, but now that Galbatorix's hold over Murtagh must surely have vanished, Eragon wondered what had happened to him. It wasn't just Murtagh that he was worried about but the young dragon, Thorn. They had fled when with Eragon's and Saphira's help they had managed to put up a barrier against the usage of ones true name. They had used Glaedr's Eldunari to channel the power needed to make the barrier but it had been worth it. Murtagh had immediately flown away towards the coast with the intent of flying as far as he could out across the ocean. He had hoped to find lands unknown but Eragon was beginning to lose the hope that he had succeeded, what he had meant to do was nearly impossible.

Saphira began to descend, angling towards a line of trees about a mile away. Eragon noticed the change in her flight and asked, '_Tired, Saphira?_' Saphira kept her mind focused on the decent as she answered, '_No Eragon, I can't fly into Du Weldenvarden._' Eragon looked at the tree line and realized that it was indeed the southern edge of Du Weldenvarden. Saphira and Eragon both were awed at the amount of force that gust of wind must have had to have pushed them all the way to Du Weldenvarden from Uru'baen. After a few minutes Saphira landed with a light thud into the rain soaked ground on the outskirts of the forest. The forest looked just as dark and mysterious as it had when Eragon had first laid eyes on it but deep within those trees was his cousin, his nephew, and so many friends that he missed greatly. From where they were as Eragon had gathered from the air, the closest elven city was Osilon, which neither he or Saphira had ever been to. Saphira walked slowly towards the forests edge, eager to be under the shelter of the trees. '_Eragon? What do you think happened to Shruikan?_' Eragon didn't answer, have had the subject raised so many times in his sleep he knew that avoiding the subject was next to impossible especially when they entered Ellesméra. It was an unfortunate truth that Islanzadi would want a full account of what transpired in the throne room. 'Well,' Eragon mused to himself, 'at least she'll be more graceful about my exhaustion than Roran.' Eragon thought back through each blow of the battle, how he himself guarded his mind as well mentally shielding his body from the shocks of Saphira's battle with Shruikan. As he reached the killing blow against Galbatorix his heart sped up as if in the anticipation of reviewing the event that ended the war against the mad tyrant. He soon came to realize that what he was feeling was fear, not anticipation. As he thought about those bloody event he came to realize one painful fact. They had had too easy a time in defeating the tyrant, it had only lasted ten minutes, if that.

The truth was that Galbatorix had a virtually limitless supply of power for his magic and yet his body never healed, his swordplay was with the air of a man with other things on his mind. Another thought occurred to Eragon as he remembered all of the Eldunari that they hadn't bothered looking for. 'A fool, thats what I am to have left the way marked for a repeat of the last hundred years events.' Saphira stopped walking as she sensed her riders distress. '_What is the matter Eragon?'_ Eragon looked at her, realizing that he hadn't answered her question. '_I'm Sorry Saphira, I wasn't paying attention, what happened to Shruikan is anyones guess but why are you concerned? Its not like he can't take care of himself.'_ Saphira let out an irritated snort and turned her head to stare at Eragon before saying, '_You insult me. I asked just now about your wellbeing, not that of another Dragon. Please answer me; What's wrong?' _Eragon grimaced in anger, she had obviously been more concerned about Shruikan than himself otherwise she would have asked about him first. Part of Eragon, that part closest to his anger wanted to scream at Saphira but that other part of him, that part closest to reason realized something was wrong. He had never felt this angry at Saphira, what he was feeling was beyond even the anger he had felt towards the Ra'zac after Garrow's death. It had fast grown into a incredible torrent of rage that made one even as strong as Saphira cower. '_What's wrong with me? I've no reason to be this angry at Saphira let alone anything else.' _Saphira tried to contact his mind but found that he had gone beyond reason. Eragon prodded his conscience as the overwhelming anger grew in him and before the anger completely consumed him he felt another mind, another power controlling his emotions.

Eragon climbed down off of the saddle and before he had a chance to take control of his mind, it burst from him. He began screaming all manner of vile insults into her head, claiming that her love for him had all been an act and that she would have taken an Urgal as rider over Eragon in a minute. Saphira tried to close her mind to the demented ranting of her rider but some force kept her from do so as Eragon went on to calling her everything from useless to the most profane names he knew in Urgal, Common, Ancient, and Dwarven. Soon after the language ceased Eragon turned and stormed off into the thick of Du Weldenvarden. Saphira stood there in utter shock as the full impact of what he had done hit her. The tears of a dragoness who had been wounded deeper then any physical wound fell from her face as she threw herself down on the ground and wept for the first time in her life. Her voice lifted up into a roar of pain that no words could describe. Eragon meanwhile had gotten to a point in the forest where a clearing had formed. Alone in the half-light he breathed hard as if he had battled for hours. Before he had time to collect himself, and elf came out from behind the nearest tree. It was Arya. Eragon's heart lifted in spite of himself but before he could say hello she had dropped her composure and punched Eragon with all the strength an enraged elf could muster. Eragon felt a fist collide with his face so hard that he was lifted of his feet and thrown against a nearby tree. 'You bastard!! How dare you do such an evil thing to Saphira. A thousand curses of misfortune should follow you until one of them ends your miserable existence.'  
Eragon was about to respond angrily before the spell was lifted of of him. In a split second after Arya had punched him he felt a pain of loss so severe that he felt as though he knew what it was like to die. He heard the echoing of her cries through both the forest and his soul, the cries of Saphira. His heart which seemed a moment before to be as cold as ice, felt her hurt as well as his. He couldn't believe what he had just done but the pain in his jaw from the punch was enough to prove to him that this was no nightmare. He turned from Arya and ran into the forest towards Saphira. He didn't care if she broke his body, he had to comfort her, his soul needed her forgiveness, he needed her to listen as he tried to tell her how sorry he was. '_Saphira! Please...._'

The branches slapped at his face as if the entire forest conspired to keep him away from Saphira. Deep within him a strength unknown grew, a power that coursed through his body like fire. '_Saphira...Please...'_ The power that had manipulated him returned to his mind once again but the new found power that flowed through his body and mind and kept this power at bay. Saphira meanwhile had caught Eragon's scent, strong and familiar as it had always been. Although she felt an immense fury towards Eragon, her heart still felt a love for him, the love that passed understanding. She stood and face the scent with a snarl on her face. She would not let her heart be crushed again. She heard footsteps approaching, but these were louder than they should have been. They could best be described as the the sound of echoing thunder but they came closer with each passing second. The scent grew stronger and stronger until it became an overwhelming scent that to her felt like burning desire she had felt the night of the Dagshelgr. '_What is this? Why do I feel this way?' _Saphira took a step towards the forest as her feelings grew stronger wiping away her pain and sorrow and replacing it with curiosity at this new sensation. Before she had moved more than three feet, the trees parted.

Taller than she, with eyes of steel, whose scales glowed in the half light stood...

_'No... that's impossible...'_

Let me know what you thought. Chapter 3 is up next._  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Here comes the third chapter! Disclaimer: All events used in this story are my own, earlier events found in the books are used to keep the story as close to accurate as possible. I do not claim credit for the works of Paolini and there fore can only say that present events in my story are m own. Character, places, and prior events in the books are entirely the work of Christopher Paolini. Now that thats out of the way... on with the Story! Enjoy and R&R!

Chapter 3

Saphira stirred slowly in the early hours of the morning. The soft light of the newly risen sun glittered magnificently off of the dew that hung of the leaves and grass of the surrounding area. It looked very much like a field of gemstones inlaid in a cloth of richest velvet. Her head was swimming in pain. She knew not what the cause of it was but as her senses speed back to her from the realm of sleeping, flashes of the previous night began filtering into her mind. She remembered vague things like something out of half remembered dreams but in this case it was a nightmare. The images upset her greatly as they depicted Eragon screaming at her in a furious rage born along by some unknown source. She was certain that it had nothing to do with her but why then had he said those things to her? She surveyed her surroundings more carefully and came to realize to her shock that she was lying next to the house in which She and Eragon had stayed during their last visit to Du Weldenvarden. She was in Ellesméra with no clear memory of having got there. The events of the previous night swirled through her mind like a fog of grayest mist, impenetrable, unyielding, and unattainable. Flashes of her memories came to her for brief periods of times and all of them made no sense to her whatsoever.

It was all so confused. Screaming, sorrow, anger and rage born from a source unknown that tore at her with vicious ferocity. Her own memories had become a monster that terrified her, a monster she couldn't escape from as it filled her mind with thoughts of sorrow, of such pain that she wished for death so that the pain would end. Eragon's furious insults that he had thrown at her with no remorse or feelings cut at her more than physical pain. It was an emotional pain that stretched further into her being than any alive could possibly fathom. She couldn't escape her pain but her memories held more than just pain. They also held a mystery as the memory of the silver dragon swam into her mind. It was remarkable how those memories of great pain and turmoil were deadened in intensity at the thought of this dragon. He had appeared to her to be of considerable strength and complexity but at the same time of such familiarity that she felt as if she had already met him. The dragon was an inexorable part of her memories. No matter what she did her focus always returned to him. It was as though he held some great importance, an aura of greatness that couldn't be explained. In the stillness of the early morning, her breathing seemed to her to be louder than normal. She wondered what was causing her breath to quicken, her mind to wander and her her heart to lift as she thought of the silver dragon.

She didn't notice the sounds of footsteps as someone approached her from behind the trees. 'Ah, I see that your finally awake, you've been sleeping like a rock since we got you here.' It was Angela who had spoken, she looked grim and solemn but was trying her best to be her cheerful, odd self. Saphira was gladdened to see her, she had many things that she wanted to ask. The reason she chose to ask Angela was because as eccentric as she was, she almost always spoke with a measure of sense. '_Angela, Where is Eragon?' _Angela's face soured in such a way that Saphira felt sure that this couldn't be the same Angela she knew. Angela's face clearly reflected anger of such a degree that Saphira could only define it as loathing. Angela looked towards a gnarled, twisted tree in the middle of the city, next to the throne building, one that Saphira had never noticed before, one that she was sure had never been there before. Saphira stood to exam the building more closely as Angela spoke, 'That 'man' is over there, in that prison tree that the elves put up shortly after you arrived. Eragon's actions towards you three days ago were inexcusable.' Saphira was slightly surprised that she had been out for three days and wanted very much to see her rider again, despite what he had done.

She still couldn't work out what had caused his brief moment of insanity but she was certain that it had nothing to do with her. Angela looked back at Saphira and asked, 'Are you alright? I suspect that his action wounded you deeper than a simple tongue lashing.' Saphira looked back at Angela and spoke in her new female voice, 'At first it did but now I am beginning to suspect that his action was not his own. No matter how angry Eragon became I could always contact his mind. This time was different.' Angela looked at Saphira quizzically, she was so sure that Saphira was still angry at Eragon or at the very least to be exhibiting any sign of pain from his words but somehow she was nothing more than curious. Angela asked in a confused way, 'Saphira, are you saying that you still feel something for him? I half expected you to want to beat the living daylights out of him.' Saphira snorted in amusement, she didn't want to hurt Eragon but she was curious as to what had happened to him. Saphira had never once been unable to contact him, no matter how angry he was. At the moment his rage had peaked it was as though noting but rage and hate existed where Eragon was. It was as if he had ceased to be and the feelings had filled the void where he used to be. She ran this idea by Angela and to her relieve she looked thoughtful instead of skeptical. Solembum walked around Angela's legs and looked up at Saphira. He was sporting an evil grin on his face as he contacted Saphira's mind, 'You know, I believe I overheard the elves discussing means in which to separate you and Eragon permanently. I think they want to execute him for what he did.'

Angela looked around in alarm at Solembum who sat there as if he had done nothing wrong at all. He simply smiled at Saphira, whose mind was emitting nothing but shock. The elves never executed prisoners as far as she knew. Most certainly they would have done so to Galbatorix but his case was an exceptional one. The mere fact that Solembum suspected that they were considering it was frightening to her. Angela tried to shoo Solembum away, even going as far as to aim a kick at him. Being that he didn't move at all Angela continued her interrupted conversation with Saphira. 'So, you think that Eragon wasn't acting of his own accord? I'm not saying that I doubt you but your feelings might be trying to make things better.' Angela looked hopeful at Saphira who was staring at the prison tree, deep in thought. It was true that her feelings about Eragon might be inhibiting her judgment but she was so sure that what had happened had been completely beyond his control. Any power that could remove him from his body and replace it with a spirit of pure hate was truly a power worth worrying over. Saphira couldn't feel Eragon's presence. The tree must have been made to block their link.

Angela tried to get her attention with little success and eventually gave up and left her with her thoughts. Angela was curious about the nature of what Saphira had said. It was possible that a Shade, or other such creature of great magical power, could suppress Eragon's mind so deeply that Saphira couldn't contact him. If that were the case then where was the creature now? Saphira walked slowly over to the prison tree. Deep in her heart she felt a longing that she couldn't explain. It was almost like mourning a dead loved one in comparison but she knew full well that he was alive. The thought did not comfort her though. She wanted to see him again, to be with him again. She even thought longingly of the times that they had shared on the field of battle. Never had she ever felt so lonely, even though they stood feet from each other, the emptiness in her spirit where he should have been was maddening. She was so absorbed in her feelings and thoughts that she didn't notice Arya and her mother Islanzadi approaching from the throne room. It wasn't until they were less than three feet away that she sensed their presence. Her mind was so preoccupied that she didn't acknowledge them when they stood in front of her. It wasn't until Arya contacted her mind that she finally spoke, '_Arya, Islanzadi, what is it that you need of me?' _Islanzadi didn't mind Saphira's lack of manners at the moment, she was probably in a great deal of shock at her Rider's actions. Saphira looked back towards the prison tree as Arya began to speak, 'Saphira, we would like you to understand our decision.' Saphira looked quickly back at Arya with a slight tinge of alarm.

What did Arya mean by 'our decision'? What was it that she and her mother had planned on doing. Arya continued to speak when Saphira said nothing to this statement, 'Saphira. My mother and I believe that the Rider bond between you and Eragon needs to be severed. Its the only punishment that we could find that would work.' Saphira was highly alarmed at Arya's words. To her the severing of her bond with Eragon was nothing short of death itself. She couldn't even begin to think what she'd do if he were to die. But something didn't make sense. If the bond was severed then she was most likely going to die but from what she could tell of Arya's plan, it seemed that she would live, but to what purpose? Saphira took a deep breath before asking, '_It seems like you expect me to live through such a thing. If you want to punish him with death then simply kill us.' _Islanzadi shook her head, 'No Saphira, we need you to live. You have to restart the dragon race and the Riders. Only you can do that.' Saphira was enraged by these words and both Arya and her mother felt it. '_Is this all I am good for?!' _raged Saphira as her eyes narrowed in fury. Did they honestly think that she would mate with whatever dragon they chose for her after they had severed Eragon's spirit from her. Such a thing was beyond believe. 'Saphira you must understand that your destiny and duty has always been to the Riders. Our plan was to get you to hatch, raise you, then free the other male dragon and find one that would be a suitable mate for you.' Islanzadi's words only served to enrage Saphira more. Fire billowed out of the corner of her maw as she sneered, '_You are truly ignorant if you presume that I am nothing more than a dog to be breed for more of my kind.' _

Saphira headed over to the prison tree. She wanted nothing more than to see her rider again and if that meant tearing the prison tree apart then she would do it. Arya sped after her in an attempt to reason with her but Saphira would not listen to her words. The indignity of intentionally been trained by the elves for the express purpose of staying alive long enough to breed was repugnant. When she had reached the base of the tree she placed her claws against it, to prepare herself to what she was about to do. Arya realized quickly what she had planned uttered a curse as she tried to pull Saphira away with magic. Saphira was either so large that the spell didn't work or her instinctive magic had put up a ward against anything that would stop her. With a mighty bellow she dug her claws into the tree and began ripping furiously at it. Pieces of the gnarled wood flew in every direction as Saphira tore viciously at it. But what she hadn't expected was for the tree to come to life. As she tore another root out of the ground, a branch lashed out and wrapped around her neck, tightening quickly constricting her airways. Saphira gagged as another branch lashed out across her face. Her will to save Eragon was so strong that her instincts aided her again. As her mind began fogging her magic spread out from her and the branch turned to dust. She gasped for air as she continued to tear at the tree. After five furious minutes of battle with the tree, she felt her claws sink into a hollow spot.

With a supreme effort she ripped out this strongest bit of the tree and it soon fell motionless, as if she had ripped out its heart. Inside the tree, illuminated by the light of the newly risen sun, lay her Rider. Eragon looked starved, as if her hadn't eaten for the three days since they had arrived in Ellesméra. Why would the elves have not fed him? Granted, his actions three days ago were evil but the elves never did something this dark. While standing on her hind legs she reached in and slowly lifted him out. His body seemed limp as if no life was in him but she could feel the faint spark of life burning inside him. She placed him gently on the ground. Arya walked slowly over to her. She didn't want to talk to her at all. In her mind nothing was more real than Eragon. He needed food, water, and rest. Saphira lifted him gently and walked off slowly towards the tree houses.

Arya was confused, Eragon's actions towards Saphira had been cruel so why then had she forgiven him so quickly. She probably needed more information on what had happened between them but for the moment she understood one thing. Saphira needed time alone with Eragon before she approached her with her mothers' plan. The Rider's were needed and surely Saphira saw this and if she didn't cooperate...She didn't know what she'd do.

I hope I did okay. Please R&R to let me know how I did, Your review, good or bad, only serve to make my writings improve.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four is here. I am expanding my writing field slightly in this one so any Reviews are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Characters, Places, or Prior events in the books. All of those works came from the exceptional mind of Christopher Paolini. All current events listed in this Chapter and all prior in this story are my own. I did not take any ideas from any other writings.  
Enjoy at your leisure.

Chapter 4

Saphira slowly hobbled through the tree's, clutching Eragon as gently as she could in her left foreleg. She was looking for one person, only one. She was looking for Roran. He would be able to tend to Eragon while she herself went to find a decent place for the two of them to stay, far removed from the place of the elves. At the moment she couldn't stay in their cities. She was quickly getting weary of carrying Eragon in the manner she was currently doing. It was difficult but she had no other means of doing so. She might accidentally kill him if she tried carrying him in her teeth. Soon see had passed through the center of the city and past the black smith. Saphira noticed that the blacksmith had mounted the sword, Brisingr on the wall above the fire. Saphira would asked Roran to get and if he couldn't then she would. The forest path seemed to conspire against her, seeming to grow longer as she walked down it. It soon felt like she had walked hours, though it had only been minutes. Her leg felt as though it was on fire, and the temptation to place it on the ground was quickly becoming overwhelming. At long last she saw a welcome sight. Katrina was sitting outside in the brisk morning air, gently rocking her son as the babe cried.

The sight made Saphira both extremely happy and also deeply saddened. She knew why it was that she was sad but there was no helping her desire for young of her own. Katrina initially looked pleased to see Saphira but when she saw that she was carrying Eragon's limp frame in her claws she immediately called for Roran. In less than a minute, Roran came running from the house has hammer in one hand and shield in the other. "What....What's wrong?!" Katrina looked at him sternly from her chair and said as quietly as she could while still being heard over her child's balling. "Will you drop that rubbish and help Saphira, she's rescued Eragon." Roran quickly looked at Saphira and upon seeing the unconscious Eragon, he threw his weapon and shield in a pile on the ground with a loud clang and ran to help. Saphira gently laid Eragon on the ground and looked on as Roran picked him up and sprinted towards the house, muscling the door open with loud bangs and much cursing. "I swear that husband of mine never listens when it comes to that simple request, be quite." Katrina continued to rock her child, whispering gently to him in an attempt to get him to calm down.

Saphira looked on helplessly, she could not go in to the house and help with Eragon, nor could she quieten the baby. Both tasks would be welcome things to distract her from her sadness but as it was her size made such things impossible. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She had often seen mothers singing to their young to calm them. She asked Katrina gently, "_Katrina, have you tried singing to him. I've seen other mothers doing so to calm their young._" Katrina looked sadly at Saphira and responded in a weary sort of way, "I know mothers do. But my mother died before she could ever teach me any and I never bothered to ask the other women of Carvahall for some either. I guess I'll just have to let him cry himself to sleep." Saphira looked at the baby and slowly asked Katrina in a carefully controlled voice, "_Katrina, would you mind if I tried?_" Katrina didn't answer immediately, it was her child after all not Saphira's and therefore she felt it was her responsibility to help her son sleep. She was also afraid that Saphira's dragonish voice might frighten the child.

She decided to tell Saphira of her concerns and as she finished telling her about her worries Saphira responded in a certain tone, "_I understand your worries of upsetting the child more, but a dragoness possess two voices, one that they use most often, which you have heard, and another meant for conversing with extremely frightened individuals, like children. We also use it to appear more feminine than we look._" Katrina laughed at this last comment. It was always easy to imagine Saphira as feminine but to her her actually voice such a thing was amusing. She trusted that Saphira was being honest when she said in a resigned way, "Very well Saphira, since little Garrow here has been up since the crack of dawn, I'll accept any help. Sing him your lullaby." Saphira gave a dragoness's warm smile and slowly stretched her mind to the child. The mind was small and fragile, as if one wrong thought would destroy the babe's mind. She carefully worked through his tightened defenses. Fear was a powerful barrier even in a small child. Her mind seemed to slip in unnoticed and when she was comfortable that she was wrapped around his mind and imagination alike she spoke softly in her cool female voice.

"_Peace child, don't be afraid. There is nothing to be afraid of. Let my voice sing to you." _The young mind focused as only a child could on her voice. She softly began to sing to the child, "_In glens and glades, far away, where the wind gathers and blows. There awaits in this magical land a mountain of old, glistening like water in light. Upon this mountain a mother lives, strong and powerful, the mountain is her home. Children play beneath her gaze, her love shared for all of them. Soon the time comes to feel the wind upon her face. She stands alone in the winds of old and breathes deep the smell of spring. Far bellow the world of old, a blanket of stone that flows like water. From high above she lives, with the winds of old." _The song was more of a poem, it did have more verses to it but for the moment this single verse was all that was needed. It was a dragoness's song, one that she'd sing to her own young. She didn't know how she knew it but it had its desired effect. They child's mind relaxed more and more as she repeated the song to the child. While she sang she provided images and visions of what it would look like. By the third time she started she felt Katrina pull at her mind. Saphira slowly pulled away from the child's mind and soon she was looking at Katrina.

The child was gently sleeping in Katrina's arms. Katrina smiled at Saphira and whispered, "Thank you Saphira. I greatly appreciate your help." Saphira smiled gently, little did Katrina know that she had given Saphira a true gift. She had inadvertently allowed Saphira to experience a small portion of motherhood, even if it hadn't been her own child. Roran came out from the house and spoke to Saphira mentally, "_Saphira, I'm glad to see that you managed to get Eragon out of that tree. I am curious to know why he acted the way he did but for the moment I think you might want to go and hunt. I don't know how long its been since you last ate but I'm sure your going to need food soon." _Saphira's stomach choose that moment to rumble enormously, loud enough that Saphira was afraid that it would wake Garrow. But the child simply pulled closer against Katrina. Saphira dipped her head slowly, showing that she understood. She was anxious to stay close to Eragon but she was realistic enough to know that she needed food if she was going to be awake when Eragon came to.

She turned slowly and spoke to Roran, "_When Eragon wakes up tell him to contact me. When he does I'll be back as fast as I can." _Roran nodded and said in a hesitant voice, "And what should I do if he feels that he shouldn't be allowed to do so?" Saphira's answer was simple. She would feel him awaken even if he didn't contact her, and if he didn't contact her, she'd show him exactly what the ground looks like from under her belly. As she took of into the sky she told Roran what to do, "_If he doesn't contact me for any reason other than he doesn't wake up, tell him that when I get back I'll show him a view of the ground from my claws." _Roran snorted slightly at the thought of Eragon being carried through the air in Saphira's claws, he'd probably be screaming. Before Saphira got too far away he promised to relay her message, then went and retrieved his Hammer and shield from the ground. He then noticed the sleeping child in Katrina's arms and smiled as he said, "I see you finally got the tyke asleep." Katrina shook her head slowly as she stood to take the child inside and said, "No, Roran. It was Saphira who did that."

Roran looked quizzically after her but felt that he really wasn't all that interested in what had occurred to cause Saphira to help the little one relax. As he started to head back into the house, an elf ran up to him and said in a hurried voice, "Roran-elda her majesty Islanzadi requests an immediate audience." Roran looked sharply at the elf but understood one thing. If the queen was asking an audience with him, it must surely be of great importance. But none the less he had to ask, "Does this have anything to do with Eragon?" The elf shook his head and responded in the ancient language, "No Roran-elda, it has nothing to do with Eragon." Roran knew enough of the ancient language to understand what he said and knew that lying was impossible in the ancient language. So he said turning from his home, "I'm on my way." He didn't know why Islanzadi was calling him but if it didn't have anything to do with Eragon then he was more than happy to see what the elven queen needed. So with that in mind he headed off towards the thrown room at a brisk pace.

I hope I did okay on this. Let me know your thoughts, Review me and Give me your opinion.


	5. Chapter 5

Here is Chapter 5. I'd tell you more but I'd probably spoil it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Characters, places, or Prior events found in the books of the Inheritance Cycle. All of those I attribute to Christopher Paolini. All current events, in this Chapter and all previous, are entirely my own, using the earlier works of Paolini to give it as much accuracy in way of places and Event reference. Character changes and development are my own.

Now that that's out of the way, Enjoy! Please R&R.

Chapter 5

Roran quickly strode through the tree of the elven capital.

The request of the elven queen for his presence in her courts was slightly worrying. He didn't know why she wanted him but he was sure it had something to do with Eragon and Saphira. He was sure that she was going to ask him to talk to Saphira in an attempt to reconcile her to agree to her plan. He understood both points of the view, Saphira's rigid determination to mate with only one for life and the elves desire to see the dragons returned, no matter the cost.

He wasn't far from the courts of Islanzadi but he was taking his time, mulling over possibilities of what it was she wanted. He was sure that Saphira's name was going to come up in the conversation and more than likely in the topic that she had already discussed with Saphira. He looked up into the treetops, thinking. He couldn't let the elves do what they wanted with Saphira regardless of what it might cost the dragon race in the future, he couldn't betray either Saphira or Eragon. Both were family and therefore required his support and regardless of what the elven queen wanted, he would never betray family.

He stopped as he passed the smithy and headed on to the courts of the queen. Things were happening faster than he would have cared, the mere fact that the elves rigid attitude of not interfering in the affairs of Eragon and Saphira had completely disappeared was point enough in this. It hadn't been a gradual occurrence it had happened literally over night. The pretences seemed had fallen away and now there was nothing left but the truth, the truth of their desires. It seemed that the fight to keep Saphira and Eragon alive had been leading up to this moment, the moment in which the elves made their life decisions for them. He couldn't hide his ever increasing disdain for the people of the elves for their treatment of Eragon and Saphira.  
Neither was meant to be used, this was clear to many others. The changes that had happened to Eragon ans Saphira were remarkable and showed how much they were becoming like the other, his cousin becoming proud in his dragon and his own abilities, much like the dragon he rode. All the while Saphira grew more and more passionate about live and made aware of the beauty of everything around her, respecting love and wishing herself to feel and experience it.

He couldn't fault her; there was nothing more wondrous than experiencing true love. He understood her point of view better than he did the elves, if the reviving of the dragon race was so vastly important then why not simply wait for Saphira to find her life mate and build up the dragons from there, they certainly had the lifespan to wait. They had after all waited for nearly one hundred and twenty years for the time to peacefully revive the dragons and the riders to their former glory. He stopped by the forge on his way past the blacksmith; he didn't have much time to spare for the elven blacksmith. He merely smiled at the blade she was hammering away on, a sparring sword that had snapped in half. Roran knew it had snapped in half because it had been in his hands when it had happened.

He had been training with an elf when she had dealt a particularly vicious blow to his blade, snapping it in two and sending the blade spinning lethally by his head. It had scared him witless but it didn't take long for both he and the elf to break down laughing when they realized that Roran was unscathed. He smirked at the memory, admittedly he was relieved that the blade had cleaved his head in halve but the fact he was have a rematch was a happy prospect, he was thinking to 'borrow' Brisingr from the smithy for the rematch, it wouldn't work as it should in Eragon's hands but he was still likely to break the elf's sparring blade regardless.

His family relied on his strength to provide their safety and comfort, if he hadn't ever had the strength he would never have been able to survive the war. Now that he had a few moments to view the events of the war he was sure that his love for Katrina had supplied him with the drive and strength to survive… he was very confident that same thing was true of Eragon and Saphira. Though they didn't show much, he was sure that the pair of them were in love with each other, more than either was willing to admit. He knew it sounded strange but Roran had no qualms with this choice of romance at all. He normally would have advised against it but he could tell by the look in Eragon's eye that he would have chosen no differently than he had.  
Roran had seen that same look in many soldiers eyes, usually among the younger ones, whose eyes had not yet adopted the deadened look that war so often brought. They had something to fight for, something to protect, a love that existed as part of them, of the people of the land, the land itself, or of one individual in that land. It was what made them unique and deadly as they we're willing to sacrifice everything to protect what mattered most to them. He was perfectly happy to accept the fact that he could well have a dragoness as a relative… well maybe not yet. As he approached the throne room he knew that no matter what was said, a little of the honor of a dragon had rubbed off on him, he would defend his family… dragon and all.

He continued on from the blacksmiths and within minutes he arrived in front of the gates of the courts and was greeted by two elven guards. They bowed to him slightly and showed him in. Upon entering the throne room the first thing he noticed were three grime stained elves in full war garb clustered around a raised dais of sorts that looked to have been recently built. Islanzadi drew his attention to her by clearing her throat. Roran looked at her and bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment rather than actually saying anything.  
She stiffened slightly at this lack of respect but she knew why and where it was founded. He had reason to show no respect as she had ordered the imprisonment of Eragon only a few days previously. She normally wouldn't have done so, merely giving him her council or letting Saphira deal with him but there was never something as sad as a dragoness pained scream.

Islanzadi stood up and walked forward to Roran, putting a hand on his shoulder as she began to speak.  
'I have called you here because there is a matter that I wish to discuss with you.'  
Roran remained silent; the friendly gesture she gave him did nothing to shift his disposition on the elven queen. He felt that he'd rather let her speak her piece before he left. As he didn't know why she brought him there, she might want to talk about something else all together. But the temptation to leave with hearing a word was a strong one. She saw his change and knew that he was contemplating whether or not to leave without hearing what she had to say. She looked at the elven soldiers and motioned for them to move. As they did so Roran noticed that something resided upon the dais, he had thought something must but he had thought that whatever it was nothing that concerned him.

She guided him to the dais and said as she did so, 'I wanted to talk to you on a matter that does not concern you cousin or his dragon, this matter is different altogether' She gripped the cover of the object on the platform and pulled it off.  
Roran gasped; underneath the silk covering was a green stone with veins of silver like substance running like spider webs all over it. He knew immediately what this object was, he had seen something like it before only that had been blue not green. Islanzadi smiled at Roran's dumbfounded face as she continued,  
'My soldiers who remained in the capital city after your cousin killed Galbatorix searched through the castle before the people razed it to the ground, they were very nearly killed but these three were successful in finding this, the last remaining Dragon egg that Galbatorix had in his possession before he was killed.'

Roran looked at her with a look of amazement, the fact that she was telling him rather than Eragon or Saphira was a shock but he was now beginning to wonder what this had to do with him. She slowly walked around the dais keeping her eyes on Roran as he resumed staring at the egg, a wondrous look in his eye.  
'I want to know if you would like to take this egg. The choice is yours.' Islanzadi's face was a mask, completely impassive as she stared at Roran, knowing what was to come next.  
'What do you mean by take it? Surely you don't mean for me to keep it.' Roran's face registered nothing but disbelieve as he stared from the egg to Islanzadi and back again, trying to understand why she was doing this. She must surely have an ulterior motive behind her wanting him to have it but even as he thought these things she spoke again,  
'Yes I do mean that you can have it, I have given it some thought and decided that I would ask you if you would like to have it. I said the choice is yours.' Roran thought hard about any possible hidden motives that the queen might have but as he could think of none he asked, 'What happens to it if I choose not to take it?'

Islanzadi sighed and said in a calm voice,  
'If you choose not to take the egg then it will undergo the same process that Saphira did, it will be ferried from elven city to human city until its rider has been found, but I had a thought that I would let you have for a while to see if you could potentially be its rider.' She stroked the egg gently as she continued with a smile, 'I have a feeling that the gift of the rider runs in the family, no matter the relations. I want to see this young one go to a good man. One that'll treat him right.'  
Roran looked at the egg and thought for a moment. This egg greatly interested him, it was beautiful certainly but something about it pulled at him. He longed to take it in his hands, as if by holding it would make it more real than it was. Roran nodded and reached out for the egg. He didn't know what about it interested him so much but he was eager to know what it was. He gently picked up the egg and held it in front of his face, staring at it with a wonder he couldn't explain. He pulled to his chest carefully, as if the faintest jostle would shatter the egg in his arms. He looked at the elven queen with a smile, like a little boy who saw the traders and their sweets and cakes for the first time.

He thanked her profoundly but was cut off by the queen as she said, 'No thanks is necessary just make sure you don't lose it.' Roran nodded and left the throne room as quickly and carefully as he could. Islanzadi smiled to herself, the act of giving the egg had two reasons, the first was the fact that she honestly felt that Roran was to be that dragon's rider, the look on his face when he had seen it made her think that she was right. The second of her reasons was that she wanted to show a sign of goodwill towards Eragon's family, a way of apology as it was. She hoped that it would help to mend the relations between the Rider and his dragon. It was unlikely to happen overnight but she was willing to try. If this dragon did hatch for Roran then the chance that the race of dragons could be rebuilt from the hatchling after it was grown up was a chance she was willing to take.

It was certainly more appealing of an option rather than forcing Saphira to do as they pleased. The idea was a monstrous thing, something that sickened Islanzadi to think about. She'd be no better than humans who dealt in flesh and she would not stoop that low, no matter the circumstance.  
A voice whispered from the darkness of her mind as she resigned never to do such a thing,  
'But why not? Do you really have time to wait for the egg to hatch and then grow? It may not even hatch for Roran so why risk it…' Islanzadi shook her head to dispel these thoughts, they had been there since Eragon and Saphira had arrived in Ellesméra and had only grown more incessant with each day she thought about it. Even though she was predisposed not to do anything of the sort, these thoughts did not fade as immediately as they should have.

She returned to the throne and looked at the door through which Roran had disappeared and thought wryly to herself, 'Why am I thinking these things?' No matter how she examined the thoughts that had flitted into her mind, they seemed to be resolutely her own. Maybe in time she would understand them better but for now she let her mind entertain thoughts that did not dwell on Saphira, Eragon, or the unhatched dragon egg.

Six is soon to come, Tell me your thoughts, Review it.

I can't Wait for the next book to come out!


	6. Chapter 6

Well Here is Chapter 6, I hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Read and Review.

Chapter 6

Eragon groaned softly. All of the pains of a man who was starved for three days hit him with a brutality that was unmatched by anything he had ever felt before. He opened his eyes gingerly and immediately shut them again as the light of the noonday sun struck his dark weakened eyes. His tired body struggled to move in some way that didn't cause him agony but it was hopeless. In the back part of his mind he registered one very important fact, he had been freed. This mere fact was enough to get him in a sitting position and his eyes open. He surveyed the rich color of his surroundings and breathed the warm air with great satisfaction. He was content to be out of that tree but now he was confronted with another problem as his stomach gave an almighty rumble. He yelled in pain and grabbed his gut as the pain of his empty stomach reached an intolerable peak. He fell back onto the pillow he had been laying on and groaned in agony.

It wasn't long before Katrina came into the room in response to his pained groans and had brought with her a tray of food, it consisted of a single bowl of thin soup. She had dealt with those who had been starved among the Varden before and knew that anything thicker than soup would be rejected from his system because of the fact that it had grown weak from not processing anything. She could not let him eat anything large straight off. Eragon sensed her presence and turned to look at her. He knew immediately what it was that she carried but at the moment he had only one question and that was, "Katrina, where is Saphira?" Katrina looked at him with a look that could best be described as a look of understanding mixed with a look of knowing. She placed the tray she was carrying across his lap as she said, "You needn't worry about her she most certainly can take care of herself and you. She's off hunting right now."  
Eragon took the soup she offered him and drank it down eagerly. Even though it was thin, he felt it burn as it hit his stomach and nearly passed out from the sudden dizziness he suffered from his eagerness. He managed somehow to regain his posture long enough to finish drinking his soup before asking a second question, one that had been plaguing him since he had been placed into that tree.

He took a deep breath before he asked, "Katrina is Saphira angry at me?"  
Katrina gave him a surprised look. She knew from where the question was born but she knew enough to understand that the best person to answer this question was Saphira herself. She looked at him carefully, trying to judge what he was thinking before she answered, "If you want to know then ask her yourself. She gave me and Roran specific instructions to tell you to contact her when you woke up." She smiled in a cheerful manner as she conveyed the rest of Saphira's words. "She also said that if you didn't contact her that she would give you a personal view of the ground from her claws." Eragon gave a shaky laugh as he lay back down on the pillows of his bed, thinking. He was deeply worried about how Saphira was feeling, the actions a few days previously had been a great evil. He didn't wish to dwell on the past, cursing his own weakness in not being able to protect Saphira from himself.

He felt sure that those actions hadn't been his own but what force that malevolent or powerful could enter into Du Weldenvarden without the elves knowledge. Unless....  
Eragon sat up right as a sudden thought occurred to him. What if the elves were aware of the presence of an evil in the woods of Du Weldenvarden but had simply chosen to ignore it, or worse consort with it. The mere possibility that he had been betrayed by the very same people who had struggled like every other that lived in the land of Du Weldenvarden was appalling but it did make some sense. The elves rarely imprisoned in the same manner that they had with him. It was rare that they judged much more severely than banishment. That being the case, what had caused the sudden determination to slowly starve him in a completely secluded environment. He needed someone to discuss these things with, and who better than the person who had being on the other side of these same events.

Slowly he cleared his mind of all other thought so that his mind was focused on the one being whose voice he wanted to hear more than any other at that very moment. Within minutes he felt her mind touch his, the touch was familiar but hesitant. He knew why the touch was hesitant and allowed her to view his mind completely before trying to say anything. Saphira on the other hand had other ideas. As she lowered her minds defenses she felt Eragon touch her mind gingerly. The moment she felt the touch she quickly rushed into his mind and warmly wrapped it with her own, seeding in it thoughts and memories of happier things...happier times. Eragon was lost in an ecstatic bliss as Saphira's love and care encompassed every fiber of his being, melding in his very spirit. She whispered softly to him as she tightened onto his mind, "Eragon, never doubt my love for you, it runs deeper than you know."

Eragon knew then that he had been very foolish to have ever thought for a second that Saphira could ever harbor any hate for him. He felt her slowly loosening her grip on his mind but he inwardly didn't want the feeling to go. He never knew what it was like to be intimate with the one he loved but he felt sure that this feeling of utter peace and contentment was surely what it felt like. He lovingly stroked the heart of her spirit, her true heart, with his own love, his own thoughts and emotions. He heard her purr lovingly in his mind as he did so, the first time she had ever done so. The sound was a low hum that seemed to somehow convey peace in its steady low tone. He had never heard her make any sound like that before but found that he quite liked the ability to cause her so much peace and happiness by such a simple act as sharing his love for her in such a way as this. In a way he felt as though he was apologizing for the actions of the three days previous but even now as they shared in each others love, those events seemed to become nonexistent. The only true thing that seemed to matter anymore was each other. Rider and Dragon, the two as one.

Saphira slowly pulled away from his heart, allowing only a slow exchange of love between them. The few moments of intimacy had done more to change the pair than either was willing to admit. It was as if the two had fallen into a taboo that went against everything they had known but that seemed right none the less. A silence built up between them, it was a comfortable silence but eventually Eragon broke it.  
"As much as I don't wish to dwell on events of the past..."  
Saphira interrupted him abruptly,  
"Then why do so?"  
Eragon sighed. It was true that he did not wish to dwell on the past events that had caused so much pain on both parts but he knew that even if he and Saphira chose not to remember them, the elves would not be as forgiving. He knew that the best thing to do was to view these events now and find explanations now, before the elves wanted answers. He explained this to Saphira, trying his hardest not to sound like he was eager to try and find an explanation to the events of the past. This was doubly so because of what they had shared. She seemed to understand even though the matter was not at all to her liking. Eventually she sighed and spoke to him in a resigned way, "Very well Eragon, what about those events do you want to talk about?"

Eragon considered for a moment and decided that the first thing that he felt he need to talk with her about was the one thing that worried him the most. Before he had screamed at Saphira,or more accurately his body had screamed at her, he felt a third mind invade his and suppress his spirit. He was sure that this Spirit or mind had been the cause of his anger and was what had taken over his body in those brief moments of insanity. This being the case he felt that it was an entirely likely possibility that a spirit as powerful as a shade was running loose in Du Weldenvarden. He ran this idea by Saphira even as he heard a loud thud as she landed outside the house he was in. She didn't respond immediately but when she did her response was exactly what he had expected, "Eragon, if that were the case don't you think the elves would have detected it when it passed through the wards of the forest?" Eragon nodded to himself before giving her his theory, "Saphira, what if they do know about it and have ignored it? Or worse yet what if they are dealing with it. It would certainly explain their vicious attitude of late." Saphira was silent for a moment, contemplating the possibility that the elves could have been dealing with a spirit as powerful as a shade. It would indeed explain the events of the past few days on the part of the elves but she felt sure that they would not be as open about allying with a creature that had helped Galbatorix in the past during his tyranny.

Saphira was inwardly concerned about the possibility but understood that if this was the case then they would have done much more to Eragon rather than just imprisoning him. But wait... they needed Saphira alive to bring the dragons back, anything more than just imprisonment would have sealed the fate of the dragon race because she would have died at the instant Eragon breathed his last. This being the case then they would not have killed him unless... Saphira felt a cold shiver run up her spine as she came to the conclusion that the elves must have devised some way of separating her and Eragon without having them die. If this was the case then they may yet force the two of them apart in an attempt to gain complete control of her without the interference of Eragon. The very thought terrified her but she was master of her emotions and let no sign of her fear reach Eragon. Little did she know that Eragon had also come to the same conclusion but before another word could be exchanged between the two Roran came bursting into the room.

Eragon looked at him in surprise that quickly turned into shock as he saw what was in his arms. "Saphira! Roran has a dragon egg." Eragon's mental shout startled Saphira but she immediately registered what he had said. She clawed at the ground unconsciously as she asked Eragon, "Eragon, do you think it at all possible that Roran could be another Rider?"  
Eragon shook his head and responded in a puzzled voice,  
"I'm more interested in how he got the egg. There's no way that he could have traveled to Uru'baen and back in such a short period of time." Roran supplied the answer to Eragon and Saphira's confusion when he said in an excited voice,  
"Look what Lady Islanzadi gave me!"  
Eragon immediately became concerned about what Islanzadi might have been planning when she gave Roran the egg. He knew that it was severely unlikely that she would willingly let something as important as the last male dragon leave her sight. She must have been relying on the fact that Roran could be the next rider. If this was the case then another male dragon would enter the land but she was obviously over looking the fact that Eragon would be in direct control of what would being taught to the dragon. But then...of course, the male dragon would have to be in direct physical contact with Saphira during training exercises. This would provide ample opportunity for the pair of them to connect to each other emotionally.

Saphira heard these thoughts and knew that this was more than likely what Islanzadi had planned, to allow Roran the chance to take the egg in the off chance that he was the next rider, if this were the case then Saphira and Eragon had a duty to train the new rider in the ways of the Rider. This would ensure that Saphira and this new dragon would have plenty of time to communicate with each other and in so doing increase the chances that they would mate when the dragon came of age. It was a cleaver tactic but it was also a careless one. There was always the chance that the egg would not hatch for Roran and that being the case then Eragon would most certainly make sure that the egg never got back to Islanzadi, ensuring that she would never have any control over any new riders. Eragon himself would search for the new rider to ensure this. He would need also to leave Du Weldenvarden to make doubly sure that the elves had no chance to interfere. The road was going to be long but he was dedicated to Saphira's safety and if that meant uprooting Roran from Du Weldenvarden to move to another area away from the elves then that's what he'd do. He looked back at Roran and spoke in a controlled voice, trying not to let any sign of anger or fear enter his voice, "I am very happy for you, I'd advise that you put that egg in a safe place, we don't want it getting stolen."

Roran immediately nodded and left the room in an instant going, Eragon was sure, to hide the egg. Eragon was concerned about the curios move that Islanzadi made but was realistic enough to understand that he didn't know enough of what was going on through her head to make any sort of accurate assessment as to what the real threat was. He knew enough to know that the Elves were the most desperate about bringing the dragon's back. But Eragon would be dead before he saw the day when they forced Saphira to mate with another dragon against her will. He hoped the day never came and he felt sure that he was overdoing his predictions of what could happen, but he didn't know to what lengths things could go. He felt Saphira's touch against his mind and sighed. He knew that the wills of the world were vastly different than those that inhabited it but he couldn't accept that others could decide for him, what path his destiny would take.  
"Eragon? Are you alright?"  
Saphira's soft voice was a welcome inturption, it not only reminded him that was not alone in fighting the wills of others but also reminded him of how very tired he was.

He sighed and settled peacefully back on his pillow before speaking to Saphira, "I'm alright Saphira, I was just thinking about these current turn of events. I will not let any other than you guide my destiny." Saphira smiled to herself, she knew well what he meant. It wasn't often that someone entrusted their destiny to you and she was deeply honored that he chose her although was not at all surprised about it. "Eragon, I know that you are tired, but understand this. I will guard your destiny as jealously as I do your life but you most promise me, that you will protect mine. Protect your dragon's innocence."  
Eragon's answer was quick, sharp and clear, "Saphira, you are the only one that I would defend until the end of time. Death itself could not separate you from me. I will never stop loving you or defending you." Saphira felt her heart lift in such a way as to render her lightheaded but managed some how to say,  
"Thank you Eragon, rest now, we will talk more tomorrow."

With that Eragon slipped of to sleep, his dreams sweet and peaceful, Saphira filling all of them.

What will the future hold? Only I know for sure. Your welcome to guess but I won't tell.  
Number 7 on its way.


	7. Chapter 7

Here is chapter 7, enjoy and Review.

Chapter 7

Eragon slowly awoke from his long sleep. He had slept for what felt like minutes but he knew it had to have been much longer, the air was cool and clear, a sign that it was either dawn or dusk. Whichever it was he was just grateful that he had the freedom to move around again. He slowly sat up in the dark of his room, knowing that he probably didn't have the strength to stand but he was willing to try, he wanted nothing more at the moment than to leave the tree-house and to see the open. After having been trapped in that prison tree for so long, even this comfortable room felt oppressive. He slowly moved his leg off the bed, registering as he did so how very hungry he was. The food that Katrina had brought him so long ago had only done enough to help him recover some of his strength. He felt weaker than he would have liked but there was nothing to be done about it at the moment. Eragon sighed deeply as he let his feet take some of his weight, they shook violently but after a few seconds they steadied. The silence of the room was broken when he let his feet take all of his weight and pulled himself to a standing position with a muffled groan. He felt all of his tired and weak mucsels welcoming the exercise he put them through. He swayed dangerously but somehow managed to keep his feet, his head swimming from the pain of his empty stomach. He needed to find food, that for the moment was his main priority. If he didn't he was likely to pass-out.

He slowly walked across the room, trying carefully to not hit anything as he did so, within minutes he had found the door and pulled it open. The house was quite and dark, Eragon had both been expecting this and hoped for it. He wouldn't have to worry about the anxious worrying of Katrina or Roran but he still had to be careful, one false step and he was liable to wake up Garrow. It wasn't long before Eragon found the kitchen, the smell of recently cut fruit and tea leaves made his stomach hurt even more and he wasted no time in eating the leftover food on the counter. He also came across a small bottle of Fenril which he drank down as well. As soon as he had finished, he headed to the door, wanting nothing more than to see Saphira face to face. He had been thinking about these things thought while he ate, deciding in the end that rather than go for a walk, he was going to go and be with Saphira. It wasn't a hard decision. Something about the prospect of seeing her again pulled at him, as if she was calling him. He knew that she was sleeping and that, for the most part, unconscious speech was impossible. He slowly opened the door and stepped outside.

The air was cool the early tinting of the horizon through the wall of trees made him certain that it must just before dawn. He looked around slowly, finding it hard to believe that anything unpleasant had happened in the past few days. The peace was complete and silent, not even a bird or cricket to be heard. This then alerted Eragon to another interesting fact of his surroundings. It was dead silent, judging by the light of the sky he could see through the trees, it was close to dawn. He expected to hear at least one creature at this hour, small birds or insects but nothing. Eragon began to view his surroundings more carefully but after a few moments he relaxed, when he heard a bird chirp in a nearby tree. Was this how it was going to be from now on, constantly mistaking such a simple thing as the silence of the early morning as an alert of an approaching enemy. He breathed deep the smell of early morning as he turned to face the house. Saphira lay nearby him, dozing peacefully and quietly, her thoughts were free of any pain or worry. Ergaon hoped that his cautious surveying of the surroundings hadn't woken her.

He didn't know why but he felt the urge to look into her mind and see her dreams, just as she had done with him. He thought that she probably wouldn't mind she certainly wasn't in any state to tell him if it was okay or not. Deciding on the spur of the moment to do so he slowly felt her mind. Her unconscious barriers closed like a steel trap at his touch but they opened when they registered the familiar touch of his mind. He allowed her thoughts to enter into his mind and viewed her dream. What he saw didn't surprise him at all. In her dream, she lay in a dragon's nest with young rolling about her. The site brought tears to Eragon's eyes as he pulled away. Her dreams were the same as his, of love, family, and happiness. The very things that were denied to both of them. Eragon had already made the decision to take no wife because his soul was so tightly wound around Saphira's. Being as close as he was to her Saphira would be bound to his wife as she would be to him. Eragon would not let Saphira suffer the indignity of having her heart shared by another woman. He also knew that Saphirawould be of like decision in this, she would not let Eragon share in the heart of another male. The very thought sickened Eragon but with his own reassuring thoughts he continued to think about Saphira.

In the back of his mind he knew that they were condemning the dragon race and Eragon's bloodline by making this choice but somehow the idea did not upset Eragon in the least. Some inner part of him knew that this decision had been made from the moment he had first held Saphira's egg. He sat down next to Saphira's wishing more than anything that there was some way for all boundaries that stood before them to fall away. His heart yearned for Saphira to be happy and to be complete but he knew that there was nothing he could do. He began stroking the top of her head gently, thinking about the impossibility of his desire. He wished that he could be with her as she needed, but that was already determined as an impossibility but he wished it none the less. Saphira sighed deeply, unconsciously nuzzling closer to his hand. She looked so peaceful as she slept, almost like an angel, his angel. For the second time since he had left Uru'baen he heard the voice of Brom in the back of his mind, as clear as if he had been sitting next to Eragon at that very moment.  
"_**Eragon, love is the most powerful force in this entire world. Never doubt what can be accomplished when you have love." **_

Eragon nodded, he understood the awesome power of love all to well, it had been the only thing that had kept Eragon going throughout the war. His love for Saphira, Roran, and all those close to him that had fallen in the war, Brom, Garrow, and those inhabitants of Carvahall that had died before the exodus. But what had Brom meant by, 'Never doubt what can be accomplished.' That sounded like he thought that it would be possible to bridge the gap between Saphira and himself through love. Then he remembered. The scale, that one silver scale that had appeared on the back of his hand when he had shed an emotional tear for Saphira. His heart had felt for her with everything that he was and in so doing that tear must have held an incredible power. He lifted his left hand and looked at it carefully, thinking as he did so of the emotions that he had felt when the scale had appeared. He concentrated with all his might on those feelings, letting the feelings flow to his hand. After a few minutes he opened his eyes. A single silver light was on the back of his hand. It wasn't much but his heart filled with an immeasurable joy as realized what it meant. Through some unknown means he had discovered the power that he didn't know he why then had only one scale appeared. He had wanted to see his entire hand changed but only one scale had appeared. He continued to mull over the possibility of what else he needed, still elated by the revalation that the impossible could be achieved. But after having heard his deceased fathers voice twice now and encountered an enormous silver dragon that had manipulated time he firmly believed that anything was possible.

Several hours later...

Eragon slowly opened his eyes, only to have them greeted by the noon day sun. He quickly shut his eyes again and leaned back against Saphira. She still breathed gently and deep, sleeping as peacefully as she had that morning. He couldn't recall falling asleep but didn't bemoan the time lost sleeping. He had been asleep with Saphira and that was more than enough for him. It probably wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, falling asleep against the rough neck of a sleeping dragon but even so he didn't mind. He rose softly and chanced a glance down at the back of his hand. The scale was still there and though Eragon was happy to know that what had happened this morning hadn't been a dream, he realized that it probably would be a bad idea for anyone to see it. He didn't know why but he felt that neither Roran or Saphira would handle it well. Roran would more than likely panic and Saphira would want him to show her the completed transformation. The fact was he didn't know how to finish it. He wanted to but needed to think things through before he made any decision. He wanted to change into a dragon but he needed to be careful about it. He remembered the pain he had felt when that one scale had been created so what might happen to him as weak as he was. He concentrated on the scale turning back into flesh and opened his eyes as he let that though flow through him. The scale had vanished and he was content in keeping its existence a secret for now.

He turned and placed his hands on Saphira's side slowly stroke her scales as he looked at her, resting peacefully. She did something all together unexpected as she rolled over. Her foot caught his legs and he fell onto her chest as she rolled onto her back. He hadn't expected it and really didn't know what to do about it. She wrapped her wings around herself and Eragon, creating a stifling tent. Eragon could hear her heart thudding in his ears as he lay against her wondering if she was aware of what she was doing. She sighed contentedly and began to lick his face. He had no idea what she was dreaming or thinking, her tongue was designed to help her take meat of bones when she was eating and was therefore very unsuited for acts of affection like this. The moment her hot rough tongue scraped his cheek he yelped. It felt as though a wood grater was lightly being dragged across his cheek, he didn't bleed but it still hurt. His yelp had pulled her from whatever dream she had been enjoying with a vengeance. Using both tail and wings she flipped her body from a laying position to straight to her feet. Eragon had been thrown from her when she had and had to roll quickly to avoid being crushed by Saphira's landing.

Saphira turned on the spot looking for the source of the yell. Eragon reacted quickly in an attempt to prevent her from going into an almighty panic and crushing him in the process. The moment he touched her mind in a reassuring way she calmed, looking down at him as he lay on the ground. She noticed the deep red streak on his face and knew what must have happened to him. She nuzzled the spot gently and he answered her unspoken question with a nod. She sighed and looked at his face, feeling sorry for the mark but knowing that there was virtually nothing that she could do about it. He raised his hand to his face and muttered an inaudible spell. Immediately the mark vanished as the mark healed over.  
"_I am sorry Eragon, I did not mean to hurt you."  
_He looked at her, knowing full well that the act had been unconscious. He felt no anger with her, instead he felt curiosity as to what she had been dreaming to have caused the action. He looked her in the eye, something he rarely did and said, "_Saphira I am not angry with you, You were sleeping but that still deserves the question, what were you dreaming about to have caused such an act?"  
_Her response was immediate and slightly panicked,  
_"I..Er...I was dreaming about what I was going to eat for breakfast." _It was a pretty rushed story, Saphira thought to herself and she knew Eragon thought so as well. The hesitancy and panic was more than enough to prove to him that she was stalling for an answer.

Eragon wondered to himself what she had been dreaming but if it was such a personal matter that she would lie to hide it then he wasn't going to force her to tell him. Saphira felt sure that Eragon was contemplating whether or not to ask the truth of her and to her relieve he said,  
"_Saphira, if whatever you were dreaming is so personal that you don't want to tell me then keep your secret. I won't force it."  
_She felt relieved that he wasn't going to press the matter but now she felt guilty at the fact she had lied to him. She didn't like lying to him but what she had been dreaming about had been both personal and embarrassing. It didn't take long for her become angry with Eragon shortly after he had spoken to her. What was he doing outside? He had been starved and imprisoned for three days and only just now begun recovering. Before she could say anything to Eragon about he spoke. "_Yes Saphira, I am outside and walking around after being imprisoned until recently, but I have had a decent meal and at least 14 hours sleep."  
_He paused at this to think back to his imprisonment in a dungeon under the keen eye of a shade. He had had to deliberately deprive himself of all necessities then because of the drug that Durza had been using to incapacitate him. It had been very near to what had happened only a short while ago. He felt fine, a little weak but otherwise normal. He looked up at the sky partly visible through the tree tops. The small area that they were in was the only one within a five minute walk that had a break in the trees.

It was nice being able to see the sky rather than the oppressing roof of green. He looked back at Saphira, who still held an air of uncertainty as she looked back him. He knew that she was still concerned for his health but he planned on relieving her of her worries, if only for a short time. He sighed deeply and asked,  
"_Saphira, would you like to go for a ride?"_  
She blinked at him then grinned a dragons smile as she agreed,  
"_Okay Eragon, regain your position on my back once more and we'll take to the winds."  
_Saphira expected him to go and fetch the saddle but he had other ideas. He put a foot on her foot and climbed his way to her back, positioning himself where the saddle would be and muttering to himself. He had cast the spell he used during sword practice, to guard his blade except this time he directed it to protect his legs from Saphira's scales. She felt the barrier against her scales and knew what he had done. She spread her wings and gave them an experimental flap. Eragon locked his legs tightly against her feeling a bit sore but set in his decision to ride on Saphira without an cumbersome saddle. Saphira hoped sincerely that he would be able to hold on. The rigors of riding a dragon unaided were high and she felt that he wasn't quite strong enough for that but she trusted that he knew what he was doing. Saphira flapped her wings hard and soon she rose from the ground. Angling herself for the largest of the holes in the treetops and asked,  
"_Are you ready Rider?"  
_He looked at her and answered in a joyous yet cocky tone,  
"_Show me what you've got Saphira!"  
_She let out a pleased roar at the eagerness of her rider and she shot off through the trees, relishing in the experience of being with Eragon once more.

Tell me what you think, Chapter 8 is coming your way as soon as I finish it.


	8. Chapter 8

Well I've finally finished chapter 8, it would have been done sooner but I've been on a two week Dragon age binge. It m asay have affected my writing a bit so please tell me your opinion.

Chapter 8

Eragon laughed in an exhilarated way as Saphira launched herself through the canopy of trees. The speed with which she moved told Eragon that she was just as happy to be in the air with him just as much as he was. He locked his knees to her neck, grabbing one of the spikes on her back as she corkscrewed her way through the air. When she leveled out she turned her head to look at him, one eye glinting as she asked, "Are you okay?"  
He laughed as he shifted his position slightly so he could reach the underside of her neck. He scratched her neck in a reassuring way, while her eyes closed pleasantly. He smiled as he said, "I'm fine, that was nothing. If you want to throw me off you'll have to do better than that."  
She opened her eyes to glare at him, her mouth half opening in an indignant snarl. Her eyes glossed over as Eragon applied more force to the area he was scratching. He felt her pulse quicken through his legs as he continued to scratch. It was as though he knew exactly what to do to please her.  
She sighed. The feeling was so pleasurable that she was beginning to lose the focus of remaining airborne. Eragon noticed this as well when the flapping of her wings became saerratic. He smiled wider and continued his actions. Saphira was in a daze of pleasure, never had she felt like this, the feeling stemming from his ministration and flowing to every nerve in her body. She began to lose height as her wings flapped randomly. Feeling that he probably should stop he asked, "Do you want me to stop?"  
She was in such a state of bliss that she almost didn't register what he had said, it wasn't until her leg skimmed a tree branch that she realized what was happening. Mentally shaking herself she steadied and flapped hard to rise once more into the air.

Looking back at Eragon she dipped her head in acknowledgement. Eragon stopped scratching her neck, keenly aware as he did so of the cramp he had developed in his fingers. Saphira immediately missed the pleasurable feeling but knew that it was unwise to continue like that, it was likely to make her crash. Eragon repositioned himself on her back and sighed as he observed the horizon. The line where the sky touched the earth was not nearly interesting enough to take his mind of what he was feeling. The pleasure that he had just given to Saphira echoed in him as well. He was visibly shaking with the feelings that were running through him. His own feelings of happiness and contentment from what he had been doing blended and mixed with Saphira's pleasure and happiness, forming in his mind a feeling of such complexity and wonder that Eragon was at a lose for words. He couldn't find it in himself to stop the trembling of his body. He became aware that he was feeling the tremors of Saphira's body as well. Her heart pounded against her ribs, the air in her lungs screaming to be released in a groan of ecstasy at the remnants of pleasure that coursed through her very blood. Her mind was on fire, teeming with the every second of the event. Eragon knew that she was doing everything within her power to stay in the air. He leaned closer to her and whispered to her mind, "_Let go..." _

Eragon immediately gripped as hard as he could as the barrier in Saphira's mind against her own feelings broke. The pupils of her eyes grew wide as she reared back in the air and let out a roar the likes of which he had never heard before. Before he could place what it was she had shot into the air. Riding against the currents, spinning and twirling violently through the air. Eragon was holding on for dear life as he knew that had released Saphira's inner most feelings. The only way that she could release the feelings was exertion. After many episodes of impossible triples corkscrews and blinding loops that nearly unseated him, Saphira calmed. The fire in her body and mind reduced to smoldering cinders. Her heart still beat hard and her body trembled slightly but otherwise she was back to normal. Trembling, Eragon repositioned himself on her back, keenly aware as he did so, of the horrible cramps in both of his legs. Eragon knew that this event had been one that had long been delayed from happening and though he felt sure that there were to be more events such as these in the future, this first one had served to pull he and Saphira closer together. Saphira looked at her rider, her breathing deep and heavy. He had done so much for her in the last few moments that she had no way of voicing it. Deciding in the end to let it go for now she asked in her cool female voice, "Do you want to return to Ellesmera to rest?"  
Eragon knew that he had used much of his recovered energy in holding on during her frenzied flight. He nodded in agreement but added, "Yes but I do not wish to return to Ellesmera, is there somewhere else we can go to rest?"  
Saphira dipped her head in agreement. Though he had not said it she knew that he didn't want to go back because of the imprisonment he had suffered.  
She sighed and said, "I had a feeling that you wouldn't want to go back to Ellesmera so I looked for a new area to rest while I was hunting, the old dragon nesting grounds." Eragon was surprised that she would suggest such a place, mainly because of the evils that been committed there in the past. In the end Eragon trusted to Saphira's feelings on the matter and agreed. He was eager to spend his time with Saphira alone. It had been so long since they had had a moment to themselves without some one interrupting. Saphira angled herself to Ellesmera, if they were going to leave Ellesmera they were going to need supplies.

Saphira landed with a soft thud on the ground just outside Roran's house less ten minutes later. She hadn't been in any particular hurry to return to the elven capital. Eragon had expected to see Roran up at this hour as well as Katrina but what he hadn't expected to see was a distinctly disgruntled Katrina and a bawling Garrow. She gave Saphira a scathing look as she rocked the restless child in her arms, doing everything she could to get the child to fall asleep. Eragon looked at her questioningly and Katrina answered in a low hiss, 'You both scared him this morning when you took off for your flight, what were you thinking? Roaring like that while Garrow was sleeping.'  
Saphira shifted sheepishly, genuinely looking abashed for what she had done. She had not meant to frighten the child. She apologized to Katrina and even offered to help relax the babe. Katrina, far from looking grateful, rose to her feet and stormed away rocking the child gently saying as she did so, 'This is my child not yours, he needs to know my voice for comfort not yours.' Eragon thought that she had been rather harsh to say this but knew that as Garrow's mother she had every right to do as she saw fit. Parenthood was a long and difficult road, one he felt he was unlikely ever to experience, its many rewards closed to him as much as Saphira. He knew that Saphira felt the same way he did in this matter for it was the one subject in this time of peace that weighed heavily one both of them. Roran was carefully cleaning old blood stains off of the war hammer that the dwarves had given him shortly before the final battle. He had been reluctant to use it over the smiting hammer he had previously been using but the superior strength and lighter build of the hammer had warranted its use over Roran's usual weapon. The grime on the metal of the blade was proving to be difficult to remove but he plowed on with the task resolutely none the less.

The silence that had sprung up in the absence of Katina and Garrow was awkward as well as uncomfortable. Saphira broke it by huffing heavily and laying down, staring at Roran's struggles to remove the grime from the war hammer. In the end Eragon muttered a spell that would loosen the caked on blood and dirt to allow it to come off easier and then proceeded to ask Roran for the supplies he needed. Roran gave a noncommittal grunt as he began to polish the newly cleaned weapon. Eragon didn't understand his cold demeanor, seeing as he had been glowing with excitement only the previous day. It was hard to imagine any one man who had what he had being so surely and yet here he was. Eragon's sat down next to his cousin and watched him silently polish the war hammer. Roran didn't even look up at Eragon but instead chose to silently continue with his work as though he weren't there. His behavior was strange but no stranger than the fact that his actions countered his intelligence. Eragon knew full well that Roran knew that this particular hammer didn't require polish. The metal was magically forged to prevent rust or damage of any kind, why then would this have escaped Roran's mind. Saphira had obviously noticed this as well, her dragonish face had a puzzled look as she asked, "Roran, why are trying to polish that?"  
The question was simple and to the point. It seemed to bring Roran to the realization that what he was doing was entirely pointless. He soon stopped trying to polish the weapon and instead slipped it into the carved wood casing that the dwarves had presented it in. Of all the things that had happened in the past few days, the sudden changes in the people around them were the most strange of them all. Izlandsadi's sudden change to imprisonment rather than consul, something that Eragon couldn't find ever having happened more than a few times in the entire history of the elves. Even now he saw the changes reflected in the people he loved in his life. Roran had displayed a lack of intelligence that didn't fit his character at all, so why then had this happened.

Eragon rose to his feet and placed a concerned hand on his cousin's shoulder. He wanted to ask him what was wrong but before he could ask Roran began to speak,  
"Eragon, we have to leave Du Weldenvarden, somethings not right here, I feel it all around me like a suffocating cloud pressing in from all sides."  
Eragon was curios as to what he meant for a moment until he remembered the night of a few days previous. He had felt it then, another presence that had crept up on him and taken control of him, forcing his body to hurt Saphira. He felt sure that this spirit or whatever it was, was the cause of the sudden changes of everyone around him. If there really was something powerful enough to avoid being detected by the elves then it was definitely unwise to stay in the forest any longer. Roran sighed and rose to his feet, turning in the direction of his house as he did so.  
"Eragon if you want your things then help me get them for you."  
Eragon nodded and told Roran that he would be there soon. He wanted to talk to Saphira about his suspicions before they left for the old dragon nesting grounds. Saphira had been eyeing Roran as he left and it wasn't until Ergaon put a hand on her neck that she looked away. She saw the concern in his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak but she forestalled him. "Eragon, I feel your concern and know that I share it." Saphira's words spoke great comfort to him and though his worry was great he knew as he always had that she would be there for him. Just having her say that made his burden lighter. He knew that Saphira truly loved him and he her but through all they had been through they were closer now than ever before, sharing in the concern for family members. It was hard to believe that something could ever hurt those that they loved now that the war was over. Yet even as they stared into each other's eyes they could feel it. A presence like a cloud that hung over everything around them, tainting it and bending it to its will.

It must be this force that had made so many others change so much. One thing was for certain, they would need to leave Du Weldenvarden, even if this force existed outside the forests edge they stood a much greater chance in surviving away from the forest of the elves. If the elves obeyed this evil force they would become a force to be reckoned with. Saphira nudged her rider gentely, looking at him with a look of warmth that Eragon loved seeing. A dragoness's smile warmed his heart as she spoke to him, "  
Eragon, my love, there are many uncertain thing in our life this is true. But one thing that is and will always be certain is my love for you."  
Eragon had to blink back tears as he wrapped his arms around Saphira's neck as best he could and she wrapped her wings around him. Only she would be allowed to see him in this way. In each others minds they knew each others hearts without limit. Saphira wrapped him once more with her love, like a lover's embrace that she could not give. The very thought of her never being able to give to him that which thousands of others would willing do caused a dragon's tear to fall and join Eragon's own. Even amongst the sadness, the death, the war, and the pain they had found each other. Yet even though they were as one they still lay separated from each other by the forms that they held.  
Eragon had made his decsion in the recesses of his mind that Saphira couldn't touch. He would be denied her no longer. He would complete the transformation to dragon even if it drove him to death's door. This he swore.

Well there you go. I feel as though I ended the chapter too soon but please tell me how it was. I feel slightly unsure of this chapter Something I haven't felt in a while.  
Anyway chapter nine is already underway.


	9. Chapter 9

Its been a long time coming but I couldn't wait for outside opinion anymore. I personally feel that I rushed this chapter. Still I hope you enjoy it.  
Disclaimer: I don not own any of the material or characters from the wonderful books by Christopher Paolini. The enclosed chapter however was writen by me.

There is some sensual material in this chapter.

Chapter 9

Eragon sat on the edge of the Dragon nesting ground, beneath a twilight sky.

The forest of Du Weldenvarden spread out all around him like a blanket of velvet that covered the land. He and Saphira had been here for over two days now and despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop thinking about Saphira or his own resolution to complete the transformation that he had discovered. He stared at the back of his hand where the single silver scale shone brightly in the twilght. Saphira was out hunting so Eragon felt safe in examining it. He hadn't really considered how hard it would be to finish a transformation when had made the promise to himself. The truth of the matter was he had no Idea what had caused the first change and until he discovered what that catalyst was he would never finish it. It gave him a deeply depressed feeling that he had made a promise that he could not keep, even if it was to himself. He might as well had told Saphira for all the good it would have done. Mentally shaking himself he reminded himself that if Saphira had known and then heard of his inablility of finishing the change would have only caused her pain. He looked up towards the horizon and saw Saphira gliding back towards the nesting grounds. Her scales glittered iridescent sapphire in the light of the setting sun. Eragon felt his heart leap at the sight of her beauty. Though they had been there for two days they had shared nothing more than conversation and planning. He missed the feeling of encompassing love that they had shared before. The feeling of utter contentment and peace that they found in each others hearts, far removed from the troubles of the world.

Eragon looked towards the setting sun and sighed. It was difficult to believe that there would ever be a time when he would look back on the amazing chaos he had reaped and think on it as a normal time for him. Everything then had been certain, Galbatorix wanted him dead, frightened men fought on both sides and he always knew his enemies face. Now he was lost, he had nothing to work towards, nothing to fight against or struggle with. His life had become relatively peaceful over night. He wasn't at all prepared for the peace and quite that after war left him in. He nearly wished that a platoon of soldiers would turn up and attack for some reason or another. He mentally shook himself. Wishing for more death and destruction was not the way to relieving his boredom. Saphira grew closer with each passing moment and he smiled as he thought slyly about screaming for help, simply to see her react. Before he shook the thought out of his head Saphira sharply replied, '_If you do that and your not_ dying, I'll pick you up by your heels and carry you the lake to cool your head.' Eragon smirked as she sent him a mental image of him flailing like a helpless doll through the air as she dropped him into the lake. He stood and walked back to the campfire to warm up a bit, the nesting grounds were high enough up to cause the air to be slightly frigged. It was then that he noticed something strange. A slight green glint from behind a stone near the nest that lay a few feet from the campfire. Eragon was sure he had seen something and moved to inspect the area when an all too familiar feline voice spoke inside his mind, 'I would hide that scale on your hand if I were you.'

Eragon looked down at his hand and saw that the silver scale still glinted in the fire light. He thought for a moment and it changed back to flesh. Eragon looked up and saw the werecat, Solembum, sitting on a rock a few feet away from Eragon staring at him with his head cocked to the side. Eragon wondered vaguely how he had gotten up here while he stoked the fire, remembering as he did so of the fact that he could assume many forms to suit his need... Eragon snapped up straight and turned to the werecat who had become the small boy with a wide grin on his face and said, 'Yes, Rider?' Eragon didn't know how to ask the question and he was slightly concerned with the approaching dragon behind him but decided that this matter was something that he needed to discuss with someone, and who better to ask than the werecat, one who knew how to change his shape. 'Solembum, I need to talk with you...'  
'_About shapechanging_?'Finished the werecat.  
Eragon nodded.  
'_Well, what would you like to know?_' Eragon open his mouth to asked the first question when Saphira landed with a thud on the ground behind him. She eyed Solembum wearily and asked in a cautious way, '_What are you here for Solembum?_' He smiled wider as his head turned from Eragon's uncomfortable dispostition and Saphira's cautious curiosity. '_I was just coming to check and see how you two were settling in. Nothing wrong with that._' He gave Eragon a knowing look that Saphira caught and then he turned to leave, sending a picture of a lake to Eragon as he did so. Much to Eragon and Saphira's surprise Solembum became a great eagle and launched himself off the edge, screeching to the sky as he flew away into the distance. Saphira looked after the werecat until he was out of sight then turned to face Eragon with a smile on her face.

The way she looked at him made him slightly uncomfortable. He wondered what she was thinking until he felt a light touch to his mind. He smiled and gently touched her mind. As soon she felt his touch, she enveloped him with her love. The feeling was so great that he felt as though he hadn't been properly alive since the last time he was in this state. '_Eragon... I have a question._' Eragon opened his eyes. Saphira had moved close to him, her wings surrounding him, her sapphire blue eyes level to his own. '_Yes Saphira, anything._' She looked embarrassed as she nuzzled him gently, showing him a vision of him and a woman wrapped in each others arms, kissing gently under the light of a dozen candles. When they stopped the woman opened her eyes and Eragon gasped, pulling away from the vision as Saphira's sapphire blue eyes remained before him. He looked at her, wondering where that had come from, this sudden desire of hers to be human. Hearing his thoughts she said gently, '_Eragon... I have_ _sacrificed much for you, my heart is yours and my love is yours. I ignored the logical path for the sake of my love for you._' She gently licked his face, a dragon's kiss that Eragon loved, regardless of the pain. '_If I can not be with you in body then allow me the luxury being with you in the only way I can..._' He gazed into her eyes, seeing in them a deep desire that he saw mirrored in his own. She wanted to share in his love, to be with him as a wife to her husband but knew that she couldn't. The intimate scene in her mind was a dream that she shared with him to make a small portion of her desires a reality, even if it was only a dream.

He glided a hand across her cheek as he came to a decision, '_Saphira, just this once. A dream can't replace reality._' She gave a slight whimper at his compromise but accepted it none the less, he was more than right. A dream could not replace reality. He opened his mind to her and allowed the vision to enter once more. The beautiful woman with sapphire eyes reformed before him, her hair a magnificent mane of gold, shining in the light of the candles like the light of the setting sun, her skin was a creamy pale, and as she stroked his face, it was as soft a silk. He longed to run his fingers through her hair, wanting to test its strength and weight, to see if it was as strong as the precious metal it mirrored. How could a dream be so real? Saphira wore an almost see through with silk gown through which he could see every curve of her feminine body. She slid closer to him, both her hands cupping his face as he looked her over, feeling distinctly confused, the memory of the dragon he had just being looking at still fresh in his mind. She leaned close to him, her eyes glittering like jewels in the candle light, her lips brushed his softly, she spoke softly to him. 'Eragon please, be with me as if this were real. Don't let it remove your passion.' Her voice was soft and sweet, so beautiful so as to make songbirds jealous. Eragon lost himself in the beauty of Saphira. She was so beautiful, so wonderful. In this dream she appeared as a human, not a dragon. She was setting it up so as to make it as natural as possible for him. She had even included a diamond band on her right hand, a mark of just how devoted she was to him. He smiled and bent in closer stopping before their lips met and whispered, 'Saphira, my love, Your are too good for me and yet you deem me worthy.' He kissed her gently, feeling content as she returned the kiss.

He had never expected that he would able to do this, real or not. He glided his hand through her hair, holding her head in his hand as she wrapped her arms around him. They stopped for the briefest of moments and stared in each others eyes. She giggled, he smiled. He moved his hands to her neck and took hold of her gown and pulled it slightly to one side so as to be able to see her seemly neck completely, she blushed and nuzzled his hand. He wanted to expose her form but he was master of this thought and moved closer to her, brushing a slight kiss on her neck cause her to gasp and blush deeper than before. He kissed her neck again stroking her back as he did so. She was lost in the pleasure of his ministrations gliding her hands across his back, wanting to pull him closer. She undid his shirt and pulled it off him, letting fall as she ran a hand across his tight chest muscles. He stopped nuzzling her as a thought came to him and looked into her eyes, loving the soft strokes of her hands as they gazed at each other. He leaned forward brushing her cheek with a kiss and asked, 'Do you trust me?' She laughed softly and whispered back, 'Till the end of time and beyond even that.' Eragon pulled back and stroked her cheek gently and said, 'I have something else in mind.' The vision faded away immediately as Eragon broke the connection. Saphira's hurt dragon face appeared before him. He looked at her and felt no sorrow for her, he had an idea, one that would satisfy both of them. He gazed at her as a single tear ran down her cheek. He brushed it off and smiled. He had come to the decision he should have made a long time ago. 'Saphira, I've been keeping a secret from you.' Saphira looked even more hurt as he quickly explained. He told her everything, the discovering of dragon's scale on his hand and the sound of Brom's voice over the past week.

She listened intently to what he had to say, her sorrow giving way to a mix of emotions. Anger, confusion, hope, and understanding coursed through her in equal measure. When he had finished his tale, she knew why he had broken the connection between them before it went any further. There was the possibility, no matter how faint that Eragon could become a dragon and be with her as she desired, fulfilling her more completely than any dream ever could. She smiled and nudged him gently as she asked, '_Eragon, is it even possible that you could become a dragon, that you could be with me as you could in the dream?_' Eragon smiled, the eagerness in her voice was a clear sign that if this failed and he never became a dragon that she would be hurt so badly, far more than when he ended the dream. Saphira took his smile as a 'yes' and backed away from him, asking as she did so, '_What do you think caused the first change?_' Eragon shook his head, he had no idea what had caused the first change, any more than he knew how to fly. He told Saphira this and she looked slightly put out until he told her about his future meeting with Solembum. Her spirits lifted again as she crouched down, 'Well, what are we waiting for, lets go and see him.' Eragon smiled and climbed onto her back, 'Before we go anywhere, I want your word that regardless of what he says or what happens, that you won't think any less of me. That you will love me just as you do now.' Saphira stood up and looked at him with one eye and said, '_Regardless of what happens, I will always love you and besides,_' She continued in a sly voice, '_If you can't become a dragon, you can still love_ me, no matter how you do it.' Eragon spluttered as she winked at him and launched herself off the edge.

With a loud crunch Saphira landed on the edge of the lake in front of Solembum. The werecat didn't move as Saphira crouched down to allow Eragon to dismount. Solembum looked at the pair of them, his eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke directly to Eragon, 'I thought you would come alone, or was my image of a deserted beach not enough of a hint.' Eragon looked worriedly at Solembum, it was the first time, at least as far as he knew, that Solembum showed any outward sign of displeasure, well yes he could, the time that Angela threatened him with a bath had been the first time. Solembum stood up and walked away a short distance before turning back to them. '_I assume that you told her._' Eragon shifted sheepishly but Saphira was the one that answered, '_Yes he did, I for one am glad he did._' Solembum shook his head and looked at them carefully judging them as he said, '_You are only glad because of your heat._' Eragon was shocked to see Saphira's scales go a rich purple, smoke furled from her nose as she glared at the werecat. Eragon was so sure she was about to eat him that he quickly intervened by asking, 'What do you mean by that?' '_Have you_ _not noticed the changes in her? Her attitude, and her dreamsharing._' Saphira closed the distance between herself and Solembum in a heartbeat, flames roiling from her mouth as she snarled, '_Take it back, or feel my flame's!_' Solembum didn't even flinch as he stared Saphira in the eye and spoke quite calmly, '_Do so, and you will never_ _learn my secrets._' Though it clearly irked her she backed up and struggled to calm herself. '_Rider, you shouldn't have told her, now you shall have a large struggle on your_ _hands. Once a female dragon has chosen her lifemate she will not relinquish him regardless of what he says._' Eragon was looking at Saphira, who was visably shaking with the effort of controlling herself.

He wanted to ask what the problem was but judging by her condition she was in no position to tell him. Solembum was the one that provided the answer. '_Rider,_ _Saphira is going into heat, just like a normal dog or cat would. It is a time of increased desire and want, while sense and judgment decrease. She is not thinking_ _straight or being logical_ _in her decions_.' Eragon looked at Saphira. Her whole body visably shaking as she glared evily at the werecat for any number of reasons. He placed a hand on her neck and asked, '_Is it true Saphira?_' Saphira slumped to the ground and turned her head slowly to his. The sad look in her eyes was all he needed as a conformation. He looked back at Solembum and asked, '_How often does this occur and how long does it last?_' Solembum nodded wisely but Saphira was the one who answered, '_Once_ _every four years Eragon, the coming of age signifies the start of the heat cycle with the first flame of the dragon. After that every four years a dragoness enter into heat to_ _procreate,_ _for it is supposedly, the only time that a dragoness can concieve._'  
'_And,_' Solembum interrupted, '_it only lasts for one week, during which time the dragoness is driven by instinct to mate with any male dragon that is of appropriate age._'  
So that was why she tried to get him to make love to her in a dream, her instinct would be appeased and no harm done. He half wished he had for now he had a far greater problem to deal with. Having told her about the potential of becoming a Dragon she would give him til the end of her heat before she drew him back into the dream or took him regardless of his form.

Instinct or not he knew that she would not try to force him to do this but he didn't want to take his chances. But even if he became a dragon and mated with her, it wouldn't be true love, not in his eyes. To him that seemed like he'd be taking advantage of her and that he would never do. He stroked her cheek gently, he knew that she would prefer that he do it rather than anyone else but he simply would not until both of them were of the same accord, both heart and mind alike. Solembum broke his thoughts by asking bluntly, '_Knowing this fact do you still want to know the secret to Shapechanging?_' Eragon looked back at the werecat and nodded slowly. Solembum stood and walked slowly around them saying as he did so, '_Shapechanging, or the art of altering ones body through magic to become something else is a magical skill_ _that_ _requires a fair bit of magic. Werecats are all connected partly to the the spirit plane, and therefore are granted near immortality and vast reserves of magic._' Eragon had already guessed that it would require a large ammount of magic to do this but he never knew that it needed that much. Before he could ask anything Solembum continued, '_Only the first change requires the bulk of this power, the remaining changes only require willpower after that. I know a way for that power to be gained._'  
He sat down on the edge of the lake eying Eragon and Saphira as he continued, '_The sprit plane has both benevolent spirits and evil ones. There is normally only one_ _way_ _to enter into that plane and that is through death. But with my link to that plane I can use my lifeforce to create a bridge for your spirit to travel to that plane._' Eragon was deeply unsure of this and had dozens of questions to ask but was going to keep them until later. He did ask however, '_What will happen to you if you do this?_'

Solembum gave a toothy grin as he stood and stretched, '_Oh I'll be fine, I have a few... friends who will sustain me while I maintain the link that will keep you there._' Eragon looked at Saphira who nodded her agreement to the plan. He wondered whether or not her instinct or her heart told her this but he also wanted to do this. 'What do I do when we get there?' Solembum walked closer to Eragon, his eyes locked onto Eragon's own. Solembum dipped his head in understanding and answered his question, '_First you must sit,_' Eragon did so and Solembum continued, '_When you get there, you must a find benevolent spirit who will fill you with the power you need_ _to_ _complete the transformation._' Solembum crawled into Eragon's lap, his tail flicking rythmaticly. His eyes began to glow softly and he said, '_Look into my eye's rider and do_ _not look away._' Eragon stared into his eyes as they glowed brighter and brighter. He felt strange, like he was starting to float, as if he was in water, flowing down a current swift and strong. He felt so peaceful, that is at least until he felt the prick of sharp teeth in his neck. He snapped his eyes open and saw a bleak expance of gray and white stretching for miles in every direction. He felt himself leave the current and looked around. Solembum sat next to him, his teeth tinted red with the blood from his neck.

They sat on a beach of some sort, the fine sand was as white as snow. Eragon looked around and saw nothing but the beach and running water in every direction. At least it looked like water, it was more like fog, but solid  
'Where are we?' Eragon's question seemed strangely echoy in the surrounding area. Solembum smiled and answered without needing to communicate mentally, 'We are on one of the Crossroad Isles, The spirit plane is infinte in size, pocessing many areas, many worlds exsit inside each area and all are acessed from here or others like this one. No one has ever attempted to travel to more than two of the areas before seeking eternal peace.' Eragon nodded in understanding, even it was only a faint grasp of what he meant. He took a few steps away from the water and tried to make out anything through the grey and white mist that hovered over everything except the isle they stood on. Solembum walked past Eragon and let out a yowl into the silence. It seemed to echo forever in the strange fog but when it faded he turned and looked at Eragon, 'I have summoned a guide for you, to maintain the link I must stay on this Isle, if I leave it both of our bodies will die and we will have to move on.' Eragon nodded and turned to wait for whatever it was that Solembum had called, that is until he heard a distinct noise behind him. He looked back behind him and saw what looked like a feline creature, roughly Solembum's size but grey and red in color, with six tails that were seemed to be made of roiling flame and deep magenta eyes that glowed eerily in the light of this world. It lazily caressed Solembum's face with three of its tails as it walked around him, Solembum undamaged by the touch. Eragon was on the verge of asking a question when a hand was placed on his shoulder. The hand was calloused and rough, lined with age and scarred from training. Eragon turned his head forward and nearly screamed.  
It was Brom.

Brom looked no different than when Eragon had last seen him, other than the fact that he didn't look as though he was in agony. His lined face and silver beard were exactly the same as they had been previously and right now they were lifted in a smile that was more radiant than any Eragon had ever seen him wear. 'My dear boy, When Solembum's messenger told me you might be coming I scarcely could believe it and yet here you are.' After having learned what Brom was to him Eragon had always wondered what he would have done if he still lived. Now that he looked upon him again, talked to him again and now as he remembered what he had lost he did the only thing a lost son could do. He hugged Brom. Even though he had learned Brom's tie to him after death, he still missed the old story teller and longed to see him again. Brom returned the hug and smiled, he had long since wanted to, ever since He had first seen him in Carvahall and now he could, but now was not the time for reunions.  
'Eragon, that desire spirit will not be able to sustain Solembum's spirit indefinetly. I know why your here and I am to guide you to the one who has already offered to help you.' Eragon nodded and looked around for any means with which to leave the isle but Brom already had that ready. He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. The noise rang in the fog and was immediately answered by an amazing roar that could only be one thing. A large saphire blue dragon came from the fog and landed noiselessly on the ground in front of Brom. He turned to Eragon, who wore a stunned expresion, and said, 'Eragon, this is Saphira, the dragon of my tale that I lost to Morzan.' Eragon nodded blankly. He had always thought that Brom's dragon must have looked similar to Saphira but he never that they would be almost Identical. Brom climbed up onto her back and motioned for Eragon to join him. He did so and they left the Isle, as they flew towards the fog Eragon looked back and saw that it looked like the isle was surrounded by the sea of fog surrounded that. As they flew brief glimpses of the innumerable isles passed them by many of them diverse and as large as the world itself. Before he could do or say anything, they had flown through the fog and come out instantly to another isle. This one resembled a large mountain, a mountain whose peak stretched high into the clouds above. Eragon knew at once that this place was obviously a resting place or something similar for Dragons. The odd thing was, there were no dragons to be seen. The exception was a large red and orange dragon that stood in the middle of a large dais of sorts.

When Brom and his dragon landed, Eragon slid off and walked toward the dragon. The dragon eyed Eragon and spoke clearly to him, his voice carried no friendly tone in it at all. 'So you are Eragon. I must admit that you are not what I expected.' Eragon didn't know whether to be offended or cautious. The dragon huffed as it laid down glaring at Eragon as he continued, 'So rider, you want to gain the power to become a dragon. I already know why so lets get right to it. My daughter is the one whom you want as your life mate. Can you give me one strong reason why I should let you have her as such?' Eragon's stomach lurched, Saphira's father? This dragon was going to give him the power to become a dragon if and only if he could convince him that Eragon was a worthy choice. How do you convince any father of that? Eragon opened his mouth to Say something but the dragon cut him off, 'No. No words. You will be tested in a battle of strength. You will fight me for the right to be her lifemate. Prove to me that you can protect her!'  
Saphira's father launched himself at Eragon with a speed and brutality that Eragon had never before seen. The dragon caught him and threw him into the air snapping at him as he did so. Eragon felt himself changing, his body seemed to be writhing and twisting, bulging and growing until he felt the wind catch him. His body had become that of an immense silver dragon, equal in size to Saphira's Father. As he fell towards the dragon's open maw he twisted and slammed his tail against the dragon's face. It staggered as Eragon thudded clumsily to the ground.

Eragon knew that he was at a severe disadvantage. He knew nothing about being a dragon and was battling against a full grown adult with far more experience and skill. A fireball came flying towards Eragon, who ducked to avoid it but he didn't avoid the heavy wing that smacked him, knocking him off balance. The dragon swung a taloned claw at his head, Eragon rolled to avoid it using the momentum to slap the dragon with his wings. He scrambled to his feet as the dragon came at him again, snapping at his neck, attempting to stumble him with it's tail. As Eragon avoided another swipe of the dragons tail he stumbled over his own tail, allowing the dragon time to grab his neck with sharp claws and bite down. Eragon howled in pain but did the smartest thing he could think of, in this position the dragon had the perfect leverage to snap Eragon's neck. Eragon dropped to the ground and struggled against his attacker who was trying visiously to get Eragon to rise again. It was then that he saw his opening. The dragon lifted both front claws to strike and Eragon used his unpinned wing to spin on the ground, pulling the dragon off balance and tripping him as Eragon's tail knocked into him. Using the momentum he lifted himself onto his feet and bit down at the base of the dragon's head, an area he knew had a vital artery. It was well protected but with his hind legs pinning the dragons wings and his front legs gripping the dragon's neck, there was nothing that it could do but surrender. Its body went slack and Eragon knew he had won. He climbed down off of Saphira's father and bowed respectfully at him. He eyed Eragon with a new respect as he said, 'I did not think that you would beat me. Regardless, I can see your will and determination so I will tell you this.' He rose to his feet and dipped his head, 'Rider, I will give you the strength to complete to transformation to dragon form in the mortal world.' He looked back up and said with a far softer look in his eyes, 'I also give you my blessing to become my only daughter's lifemate, I believe you refer to it as marriage. Please make her happy and protect her from those who would do her harm.' Eragon nodded and promised he would before he left the Island to return to the crossroad.

He had done it, securred the power he needed to shapechange into a dragon. Upon landing in front of Solembum, who was alone but looking extremely contented he said, 'I am done here. Let's go back before our bodies rot.' Solembum smiled and said, 'I believe it's more likely we'll be eaten but yes, lets return.' As they turned to leave Eragon heard Brom's voice once more. As his vision faded from the spirit world Brom spoke, 'Eragon, know that I will always be watching you. Be happy in the love you have found.' With that Eragon opened his eyes once more and saw Saphira's staring back. He returned, but now with a purpose.

Well there you are, my next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I eagerly look forward to your reviews.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, here's chapter 10. This chapter has an element in it that I was extremely hesitant to put in it, I had no Idea how it would do and I'm still unsure about it. This chapter shows another half of the story on another land across the sea and the main creatures of this part of the story are very different from every thing else.  
Please tell me what you think.  
disclaimer: I do not own any of the works or characters of Christopher Paolini. This story however is my own works.

Chapter 10

The wind blew hard and cold, snow billowing in clouds thick and impenetrable.

Through all this a lone figure marched, the sounds of his passage lost to the howling wind. Swathed in black, he came to a halt before an arch of stone. He looked up at it, saying quietly as he did so, 'So the time now comes for the wayward one to come home.'  
The snow cleared briefly enough for the site of a small town, lit by torches and lamps, illuminated a short way ahead. The town lay quite and serene in the heart of a mountainous valley. If it weren't for the circumstances of his return, the sight would have warmed his heart but as it was, it only served to deepen his misgivings. Had it been the right thing to accept the invitation sent to him to return home. When he had left home, it hadn't been on the best of terms with the people of the village and yet for some unknown reason, something told him that he must return. He sighed soundlessly and walked up the path, passing two cloaked guards as he did so. Though they recognized him they did nothing to stop his advance, only raising there weapons slightly as if to warn him of their intent should he make a wrong move. The man ignored their warning, even if he had wanted to cause problems, these two guards would not prove a challenge for him. As he entered into the village the windows of all the buildings he passed were darkened, He was not welcome. Despite all these signs of unwelcome he couldn't help but feel that he had returned to a home that loved him, even if the people didn't. This was where he was born, this is where his heart was. He passed a small cottage on his right, nestled in the shadow of a large wooden town hall. It was here that he had proclaimed his unending love to the daughter of a traveling noble.

Her father had disapproved of this and it was because of this rift that he was no longer welcome here. What had transpired that day would forever be burned into his memory. But even as he approached the largest of the buildings he knew one thing. No matter what had happened here, he would never let it control his future. The building he finally stopped at was carved into the very stone of the mountain, easily the size of a large cathedral with windows set into the face at regular intervals. The door before him was a large wooden door, made of carved wood that bore runes telling of the village had come into being. He smiled as he ran his hand over the runes, which glowed slightly at his touch. 'Our history is part of who we are, let it be carved into that which we make.' The oft spoken phrase brought back memories of his childhood, of being taught on his mother's knee of the things in the past that defined his people. He sighed at those sweet memories of innocence and pushed the doors wide, the hall beyond was shadowed in darkness, the only light came from two braziers at the end of the hall situated on either side of a large carved wooden seat. The flames of these brazire's burned an unnatural blue and provided no warmth. These were only lit in times of great sadness and it was this sadness that was the very reason for him being there. He stepped into the hall, the doors closing shut behind him. Though it had been nearly ten years since he had walked this hall he knew that nothing in it had changed. As he neared the seat he saw that someone already sat in it. A large manlike creature, wearing robes of deep black sat upon the chair. He was wolven in appearance, his body mimicing only the eyes and hieght of a man. He had an angular snout and was covered in a smooth coat of long grey fur. His eyes were deep blue and echoed an inner hurt the was cleary seen in ever line on his forehead. He was of the Ellari, a race of beast like men who were born of the heart of pure magic and this man was highness of the Ellari and father to the exile. The man looked up at the one who just entered into the hall and his frown deepened.

He rose to his feet spoke in a voice that was strong despite his aged appearance, 'I did not excpect you to answer my summons, "Prince" Arren.' Arren removed his hood and looked up at the King and smiled, 'How could I refuse the summons of a King.'  
Arren's appearance was almost exactly that of his fathers, save for the signs of age. His fur was a rich granite grey, flecked with streaks of black. His eyes were a piercing amber and one of his pointed ears pierced. Everything about his appearance was sign of his rough travelling and living. The King recoiled slightly at the sight of his son and spoke again in a carefuly controlled voice, 'Arren, I wish that I could have called you home under happier times but unfortunately, as thing are...' The King broke off, unable to form into words the reason for summoning his banished son. Arren however already knew. His appearance softened and a frown appeared on his face as he looked at his fathers diminished appearance. 'Father, Taegren will be missed.' Tears came to the Kings eyes at the mention of only other son's name. Taegren had been Arren's brother but due to a recent incursion with the elves he had gone to the ancetors. Now the King only had one Exiled son and a broken heart, and now things became more complicated by the fact that the King required his son to go on a quest that King was no longer up to doing. He wiped away his tears and clear his throat, 'My son, we did not part on the best of terms but I must ask you to bear my Standard on a mission of great importance.' Under normal circumstance Arren would have found the statement ironically funny but as he was sure that this task was to be his brother's previously then he merely found it depressing.

Arren looked at the wall to his left. The wall was covered in a large tapestry that bore the names of every single member of his family, both past and present. The runes that were sown into the fabric next to the name were magical and would tell of the life of the one they represented. Even now he could see his and his brothers names, side by side, his was red and Taegren's was gold. He walked over to the tapestry and place a finger on the rune next to his brothers name and saw in his mind an image of how his brother died... felled by the arrows of the elves. Arren grimaced and turned away from the tapestry. He looked at his father and asked, 'What is it that you require of me?' The King sat back on the seat and eyed his son as he explained, 'Several days ago my mage's senced an incredible surge of magical energy in an unknown land across the sea. I've no doubt that the elves know this as well. We cannot allow the treacherous elves the opportunity to obtain such power. You are going to go to this land, find the source of that power and claim it for your people before the elves do.' Arren understood all to well the repercusions of refusing this task. On a large scale he would be condeming all of his people to suffering for who knew how long. He knew his duty and even though it was the man who exiled him that asked, he knew that he still needed to act for the greater good of the rest. He looked back at the tapestry, at the very top this time. Embosed at the top were the names of the twelve individuals who gave there lives to free their people. They paid the ultimate price for freedom and Arren was not about to see it lost. 'Father, I accept the mission.'

The king smilled and motioned to the door to his left. A black robed servant came into the room carrying a scroll in his hand that he handed to the king before leaving again. The king rose labouriously to his feet and walked to his son the scroll held out to him. Arren took it knowing what it was. To get to the land across the ocean he would need to sail and no finer vesel could be found than at the city of Seida. He would need a royal's permission to take a galleon and that was exactly what had been given him. The king's frown returned as he looked at his only surviving son, knowing that the mission he had given him would be dangerous but it couldn't be helped. The survial of the Ellari now rested on the shoulders of an exiled prince who must now reclaim his position only after his brother had died. Arren had noticed his father's frown, he knew why it was there and knew also that there was nothing to be done for it. He slipped the scroll into a pocket in his cloak and turned toward the door. He would need to set out as soon as posible if he was to have a chance of reaching the power before the elves did. Just before he reached to door his father's voice called from behind, 'Son, what did happen that day, when you were exiled?' Arren stopped with his hand on the door and looked into the kings weary eyes. 'Father, my answer has not yet changed, whether you will accept it as true is entirely up to you.' The king seemed to diminish slightly at that answer but he nodded and motioned for his son to go, he'd delay him no more. Arren pushed the door open and left, the snow filled night accepting him and hiding his passage. The king sat back onto the throne and looked at the still open door, his mind still on the day he had exilled his son. Back then he had had no evidence to support his son's reasons but the very moment the brand had been burned into him and he had been escorted out of his homeland, he had begun to have second thoughts. His son had been exiled on the charge of murder, but had claimed it to be self-defence. If he had been right then he had shamed and humiliated him for no reason at all and this haunted the king. He may never know what had happened that day be he had always missed his eldest son, always.

Eragon opened his eyes groggily, the dream he had had seemed so real but also so impossible. He had seen many things in it that could not be real. He thought that the strangeness of the dream could have been the product of his current mellow state and his deep distrust of the elves at the moment. He looked to his left and saw Saphira sleeping peacefully under a silver scaled wing, his wing. Smilling to himself he licked her face and curled closer against her. It had been nearly two weeks since he had gotten the power to shapechange into the form of a dragon and between instruction in dragon ettiqute from Saphira and her increased determination to mate with him they had found little time to worry about anything. In the end near the end of her heat cycle, Saphira's mind cleared up enough for her heart to shine through her instinct and he was conviced that her desire was to be his at this time in her life, to make their love more complete than it had ever been. In the end they had been together for the first time that night, under to light of the rising moon. He had never once thought about what kind of reprecussions might come from that but now that the thought came to him he couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the look on Islanzadi's face when she realized that Eragon had beaten her in the race to claim Saphira's heart a long time ago. They had only been able to make their wildest fantasies a reality only recently. Eragon sighed contentedly as he rose to his feet and looked around the plateu of the dragon nesting grounds. Even after two weeks they had still not left it and Eragon wasn't about to complain it was the only place in Du Weldenvarden that the elves couldn't reach alone. He looked toward Ellesmera and thought of Roran, Eragon hadn't seen him since the day he had left. The feeling of worry creeped backed into him at the thought of what his cousin had said, about there being some kind of spirit within Du Weldenvarden that was controling the elves and making others behave differently.

Eragon turned away from the edge and turned back into a human. He wanted to go and visit Roran and he wasn't about to reveal to the elves what he had obtained. Saphira still slept peacfully completely undisturbed by strange dreams or the worries of the problems that surrounded them. Eragon didn't want to disturb her but he need to tell her where he was going at the very least. He placed a hand on Saphira's head and whispered her name. She smiled and tried to cuddle against a dragons bulk that was no longer there. She frowned and opened her eyes. Though she still enjoyed looking into Eragon's eyes, she had grown so accustumed to her dragon lover that the sight of his human form startled her slightly. Eragon had feared a reaction like that and said plainly, 'Saphira, I think it would be best if I stayed in this form for awhile.' Saphira let out a displeased huff but she knew that this would be for the best. It would be a very bad Idea for her to forget what he really was regardless of his form. '_Why did you wake me Eragon?_'  
'I want to go visit Roran.'  
Saphira's eyes glinted in the morning sun as she asked, '_What do you need me for you can fly yourself now._' Eragon nodded and countered, 'Yes but I'd rather not reveal to the elves what happened just yet.'  
'_Why not_? _It might just get them to leave us alone_.' Saphira's statement had already crossed Eragons mind, ignoring the obvious fact that the elves would be infuriated beyond all reason, mostly due to the spirit running rampant, they would likely want Eragon to instruct them on how to do what he had. Handing them the powers of the spirit realm in their current state of mind would be shear idiocy. He ran this point by Saphira and she conceded. He was more than right. She stretched groggily and rolled to her feet remaining crouched so Eragon could climb up.

When he was situated on her back she walked to the edge of the cliff and dove off. Even though Eragon had been able to experience what it felt like to ride the currents himself he still enjoyed riding on Saphira's back, it reminded him of the time he spent with Brom. Those were such good memories, despite all the pain he had endured during that time. He could still remember all of the lessons and training he had gone through with Brom just clearly as he could remember all of his training with Oromis. He looked over the treetops as Saphira flew in the direction of Ellesmera. At this height it was impossible to see the elven capital much less dicern what might be going on in the trees. _'Eragon?'_Saphira's voice broke into his thoughts gently as she slowed the pace of there flight to a gentle glide. '_Yes__ Saphira?'_Eragon could feel her unease as she said, '_Eragon,__what __will __we __do __now?'__'What__ do__ you__ mean?'_ Saphira craned her neck to look at him with one soft eye. The look in her eye was a mix of emotions, worry, wonder, contentment just to name a few. '_Eragon,__What __will__ we__ do__ If__ I__ conceive?'_The question was brought forth so bluntly that Eragon was totally unprepared for it. He had already given the matter some thought and knew what she meant. It wasn't so much the fear of them being good parents it was the fear of what the elves would do. Even if they accepted that they were indeed Eragon's they would more than likely want to train and raise them, rather than let Eragon and Saphira do it. If Saphira did bear him children then Eragon would leave Du Weldenvarden and find a home for them elsewhere, far removed from the elves and there influence. Eragon sighed, and answered Saphira's question, '_Saphira,__if__ we__ do__ have __children,__ then__ we __will__ leave__ Du__ Weldenvarden,__ I'll__ not__ suffer__ my__ children __to __endure__ the__ elves'__ self__ righteous__ nonsense.'_  
Saphira gave him a dragoness smile before facing forward again, humming softly as she angled toward Ellesmera.

Well there you go, it happened. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, eleven is soon coming. Review please.


	11. Chapter 11

Here's Chapter 11, Please read and review If you have any complaints or thoughts I'd love to hear them.

Chapter 11

Saphira landed with a thud in front of Roran's home. Eragon had expected Katrina to be there but had not expected to see Arya. She stood there apprently talking to Katrina while keeping her back turned to Eragon. Had he known that he would be encountering her this soon he would have avoided coming. Ayra didn't so much as acknowledge them as Eragon climbed off of Saphira and moved towards the house. Eragon found her cold dispostion strange even for her, Katrina had noticed it as well as Arya had stopped talking the moment he and Saphira had landed. He tried not to notice her icy glare as he moved towards the house and asked, 'Katrina where is Roran?' She sighed half heartedly as she cradled her son and answered, 'At the training field, until he finds something else to focus his energies towards it'll have to do.' Eragon nodded in understanding, he knew all to well what it was like to be so full of energy yet have nothing to do. He had asked Islanzadi to allow him the opportunity to build a farm but her answer had been no, Roran had then been given an hour long explination of how the elves could sing the plants into being without harming the land.

Roran of course lacked that ability. Eragon turned to look at Arya who still glared at him and asked in a friendly manner, 'So Arya, how have you been?' It seemed a feeble question but the friendly nature behind it could not be mistaken. Arya didn't so much as smile at the question but instead chose to glare at him more deeply than before. He had hoped that she would have heard the story of the spirit loose in Du Weldenvarden and forgiven him as Saphira had. It wasn't until he tried to contact Saphira that he realized what was wrong. A cloud of pure hatred lay like a thick fog over everything and it didn't take Eragon long to realize why Arya was so bitter. This spirit or whatever it was that infested the home of the elves had taken control of her, nothing short of malevolence radiated from her. He huridly walked back to Saphira and climbed onto her back. 'We've got to get out of here.' Saphira snorted her agreement and leapt into the air. No sooner than she was air bourne that something all together shocking happened. As Saphira flapped to gain more Altitude a bliding pain shot through Eragon that caused Saphira to scream in agony. As Eragon began blacking out he gave her one order, 'Fly Saphira!' With that Eragon passed out and fell sideways of Saphira and fell twelve feet towards the ground, a fletched arrow potruding from his shoulder.

Eragon groaned softly, the pain of his wound still seemed fresh though it must surely be hours since it happened. He rolled over and open his eyes, seeing nothing. His first immediate thought was of being bound eye and hand alike until a door to his left opened and light poured in. He squinted his eyes at the light trying to make out who it was who walked in until he heard a voice that frightened him more than anything he had heard yet, 'So Rider you wake, I hope that my minions didn't harm you much.' Though the voice echoed with the dark powers that infused it and was much deeper than normal there was no mistaking that voice. 'Galbatorix!' Eragon croaked shout was met shadowed laughter as the visage of Eragon's enemy was revealed in the light, 'Indeed, you gave me a rather opportune chance in death, I thank you.' His features were so terrible that any lesser a man would have soiled himself to look on them. His face was exactly as it had been upon first meeting him except his sink was a pallid grey with visible veins of black stretched across his face. His hair was down to his shoulders and seemed to be made of black flames, roiling an moving constantly. His eyes were slited and were a piercing red and when he smiled at Eragon's' horror struck face he saw only a mouth full of even razor sharp teeth that dripped some viscous liquid that burned through the floor on contact. The horror of this recent event rendered Eragon speechless for he had clearly seen Galbatorix die and yet here he was, darker and more evil than ever but still very much alive.

He pulled back from the light, his red eyes glinting evily as he spoke again, 'You were foolish to believe me truly dead, and now I have returned to complete what I started. But now I shall show them the power of the spirit plane, they will know ultimate power. I will be known to them as a Master, the composrer of their presevation and reviver of their race.' He grinned as he sat in a chair in front of Eragon, 'I know you sent Saphira away, she will not heed this order for long and you know it, she will come for you and I will be waiting for her.' Eragon knew he was right. With the bond between them so much stronger than it had ever been, she would risk life and limb to save him. He knew that any attempt to do this would be futile for Eragon senced but a thousanth of Galbatorix's power. Galbatorix turned and looked at the elves standing at the door who nodded and left. Smilling evilly he looked back at Eragon and spoke in low tones, 'I know that you have been to the spirit plane recently, though I know not why. Despite my immence power I can't read your mind or heart.' Eragon thought he knew why this was and he was not about to reveal to his most hated enemy what that was. This monster had enough power as it was and Eragon was not about to give him more. Eragon looked for any method of escape but finding no window or door through which to escape he knew that he was doomed to suffer at his hands. Galbatorix rose and left, stopping at the door long enough to say in a low hiss, 'Soon enough, rider, you will suffer, you will witness horror's that you've only ever concieved in your nightmares. Sleep well...'

Eragon slumped against the floor as the door closed with a snap behind Galbatorix. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this one. If Saphira tried to rescue him she'd be captured and if Roran tried sneaking in he'd be brought under the control of Galbatorix, if he hadn't already. One thing that he had noticed was the fact that he could still feel his magic, why he had not been drugged escaped him but at the moment he didn't much care. He cleared his mind slowly, reaching for his magic but before he had even touched it he heard another voice in his mind, 'Rider, are you there?' Eragon sat up sharply as he responed, 'Shurikan? Is that you?' 'Yes Rider.' Eragon's immediate thought was that this was some kind of trick set up by Galbatorix for how could Shruikan have avoided the attention of Galbatorix. 'To answer your questions Rider, this is not a trick, I made a pact with a spirit of Valor to get in here undetected, I owe you a debt that can never be repaid.' Eragon relaxed a little but was still unsure if any of this was true. Even if Shruikan had managed to contact a spirit of Valor and make a pact with it, it still begged the question, how long would that protection last. Eragon jumped as a loud cracking came from behind as a huge section of the tree he was imprisoned in was ripped away. Shruikan stood there looking in at Eragon who did not need urging. Quickly reaching for his magic Eragon whispered, 'Jierda' focusing on the ropes that bound him. They snapped instantly. Eragon scrambled up the splintered wall and out onto Shruikan's neck. At that moment the door opened again and Galbatorix walked into the room. His smile was one of someone who knew exactly what was going on.

He leered at Shruikan as he said in a tone of one adressing a misbehaving four year old, 'Now we weren't trying to run away were we?' Shruikan's eyes widened in fear at the sight of his old master, renewed in his own way. He spat a ball of flame at him but the flames enveloped him for a mere second before they were extinguished and Galbatorix completely unharmed. 'Don't fight him, just fly!' Shruikan didn't need telling twice. He leapt back into the air as a bolt of red energy the like of which they'd never seen streaked past, reducing every tree it hit to a pile of white hot ash. Shruikan struggled to gain altitude but it was as though enourmous weights had been dropped on him. His wings beat friutlessly at the air as they stuggled to gain alttitude. Eragon looked down and saw the elves standing below, bows out and arrows in place. Eragon yelled in warning and Shruikan rolled avoiding the arrows but losing the little altitude he had gained. He crashed to the ground as the elves came running toward them, arrows being pulled from quivers as they went. Eragon did the most expeidiant thing that came to mind. He launched himself towards the elves, turing into a dragon as he did so. The shocked screams that came from the elves were drowned by his roar as he billowed flame at the ground in front of him, creating a wall of flame that the elves were helpless to get through. He let out a snort of saticefaction that turned immediately into a roar of pain as something pierced his left foreleg. He looked down and saw Arya, holding the hilt of Brisingr which she had stabbed through his leg. Her eyes glinted evilly as she muttered the blades name over again as if willing it to erupt into flames.

He picked his leg of the ground, she still gripped the blade feircly even as he did this, and slammed it against the ground, knocking her off in the process. He looked at her and mentally called the magic that would render her unconsious. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she slummped against the ground. He lifted her in his jaws gently and took off, Shruikan following close behind. Eragon guessed that Galbatorix let them go but was eager to believe that they had managed to escape all their own. It wasn't long before the voice of Shruikan entered his mind, 'Well Rider, it seems that you have learned a new trick. I take it that you have already mated with Saphira.' Eragon didn't answer the question, as far as he was concerned that was no ones buisness but theirs. Shruikan took his silence as all the answer he needed and let out a displeased huff that didn't go unnoticed. Had Arya not been in his jaws Eragon would have turned to face him and snarled as it was he had an innocent life to think about. Shruikan had helped save Eragon's life but his gratitude stretched only so far as to bear his company. 'Rider, we have an important matter that we need to discuss.' Eragon rolled his eyes and steeled his resolve to not do anything rash, instead asking iritably, 'What is it?' Shruikan huffed again and said, 'Not now, this matter concerns all of us.' With that he angled toward the edge of Du Weldenvarden and Eragon followed.

Probably short, but I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought.


	12. Chapter 12

So here's chapter 12, I hope you enjoy it. Sorry that it took me so long. Please Read and Review.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Eragon series, all works of those books I attribute to the mind and skill of Christopher Paolini.

Chapter 12

Eragon and Shruikan landed just outside of Du Weldenvarden only a few minutes after their narrow escape. They hadn't spoken a word after the the first few moments of frenzied escape. Eragon wasn't in any mood to continue the topic of his and Saphira's love life and wasn't going to give in to scorn from anyone. When they landed Eragon was relieved to see Roran, Katrina, their son, and Saphira all sitting there in silence. The moment Eragon had landed Saphira came thundering towards him forcing him to drop Arya to the ground and take off again. He glided over Saphira and landed on his wounded leg which collapsed from under him. '_Eragon! Are you all_ _right?'_ Eragon snorted, did he look alright? Roran was at his side almost as fast as Saphira was and immediately removed the blade. Saphira started liking his leg while Eragon asked, '_Is everyone alright?_' Roran nodded and answered, 'Yes we're fine, Saphira saved us in this one, She told us that you had been captured and to go with her to safety. We had nearly given in to the evil in the forest but once we were free of the woods the influence dissipated and we felt free again.' Eragon nodded simply and asked, '_Were there any others that got out?_' Katrina nodded as she attempted to quieten Garrow and said, 'Yes Angela and Solembum both got out a few days ago they should be a fair distance from here now.'

Eragon sighed and concentrated on his magic to heal his wound but soon noticed that the wound had already healed over. Saphira lay next to him her wing wrapped him in a silent embrace as she entwined her tail in his. The changes that had come over her were remarkable. Only two weeks ago they had been rider and dragon, separated by the wall of form but now they had overcome that and had become bonded in love and she could now be with him as she had always wanted. But despite all that they had now more worries and concerns than they had ever expected. Matting seemed such an easy act but now it left them with more questions than it did answers. Eragon touched Saphira's mind and felt her loving caress. He let the feeling linger as he asked, '_Saphira, what do you think will happen?_' She didn't need an explanation to know what troubled him, the same thing had been troubling her as well. She had given her innocence to a human, no matter what form he took this was what he was. Would the magic that altered his body be enough for them to create a family or was it only enough to satisfy their most basic urges. She shuddered at the thought of having to take another dragon to fulfill her want for family but if nothing else changed than she may have no other choice. She nudged Eragon gently as she sighed halfheartedly. A part of her really wished that she would be able to know if they had been successful or not. A dragoness's heat cycle served two purposes, the first was to find her life mate the second was conception. The heat cycle was when she produced anywhere from one to three eggs for fertilization, she had the eggs in her even now the only question that remained was whether or not they would be they didn't they would breakdown and she'd have to wait until her next cycle. '_Oh Eragon, I want children so bad_.'  
'_I know it_.'

Saphira sighed as she tightened her tail around Eragon's nuzzled his neck as she did so. The sunset cast the area into varying shades of red and orange, the wind blowing steadily through the trees as the moment of quite stretched on. It was hard to believe mere moments ago the world had been thrown into chaos at the reemergence of the enemy with whom Eragon and Saphira had been battling since Saphira had hatched all those years ago. It seemed impossible that it had happened but Eragon was glad that it had been him that she had chosen, had she known that she would eventually be with him in love or had it been fate that he was strong enough to be chosen, he had never once wondered why but he didn't care now, he was with Saphira, he was content. He licked Saphira's face gently, tasting her scent as he did so, that sweet fragrance that only he could smell. She dug a claw into the ground as a pleasing sensation spread through her heart, making her feel as if she lay in the sun. She shifted her wings over Eragon, hiding him from the view of others while she returned the dragonish kiss as only she could, nibbling an area at the base of his head, arousing him greatly. He nuzzled her as he wrapped his own wing around her and started nipping gently at her neck. Both he and Saphira were starting to get aroused by their actions, lost in their own little world until some one cleared their throat loudly. Eragon looked over to see Shruikan standing there, apparently angry. Shruikan let out an irritated snort as he said, '_Rider, as pleased as you must be to have a beautiful mate, please restrain yourself. None of us wish to see you mate.' _Saphira blushed a heavily, one of the few times Eragon had ever seen her do that, the scales on her face deepening in color to a rich purple. Eragon apologized to the group at large and turned his attention to Roran, "_Do you have enough supplies to make it to Carvahall__?_" Roran shook his head sadly, 'I'm afraid not, when we fled, it was all we could do to escape with our lives and the few possessions we have now.' Eragon sighed sadly, things weren't turning out to be as peaceful or easy as he'd hoped them to be.

The sun hung low in the sky, clearly close to dusk and although Eragon himself wanted to sleep until morning, he knew full well that resting this close to the forest of the elves would be an extremely dangerous thing to do. He slowly stood up and walked over to Roran, asking as he did so, '_Do you feel up to flying? We can't stay here.' _Roran nodded in agreement and started to explain to Katrina about what they would do. Shruikan contacted his mind in a commanding way that Eragon found irritating but allowed his voice to enter, '_Rider, where will we go? One dragon is difficult enough to hide, two are even more so.' _Eragon noted that he did not refer to there being three dragons present, believing that he either intended an insult or stating the obvious ability of Eragon's to become human again. Eragon personally believed that he meant to insult him. But in truth he was right, insult or not, there were very few places in all of Alagaesia that would either be able to conceal a number of dragons or simply not care about them. They had left one, Du Weldenvarden, the dwarven city of Farthen Dur was another but this was on the other side of the continent, which was true of virtually everywhere they could go. The main problem was the fact that they didn't know how far Galbatorix's influence spread. Eragon hoped that having left Du Weldenvarden would keep them out of his influence, but that was unlikely to stay that way for long. Katrina seemed against traveling by air, probably because of the child she still carried. It was true that the cold air of the flight would probably do damage to the infant but they wouldn't be able to travel far enough on foot.

Eragon offered to use magic to keep the child warm, though it'd drain him, the baby would be safe. Katrina was also against this idea, claiming that it was to risky because of the chance that Eragon would pass out from the strain. He on the other hand thought that as he was standing 10 feet above her, had a tail, wings, and the ability to breath fire that her argument was invalid. Pointing out the incredible amount of Magic it took to change from human to dragon and back again, she seemed to realize that creating and maintaining an area of warmth around the child would be no trouble. She nodded in agreement and moved toward Saphira. Eragon felt sure she'd prefer to be on the back of a more experienced dragon while they flew. Eragon focused on his magic and spoke the words for warmth and heat in an area around the saddle on Saphira's back. He felt little drain as the spell took effect, Saphira nodding to him in acknowledgement to its success. He felt Roran touch his mind and Eragon crouched down to allow Roran to climb onto his back.

He felt Roran shift in discomfort when he was situated on top of his back and wondered why until he remembered that he wasn't carrying a saddle. He mentally cast the spell that would guard Roran from his scales. He felt another strain added to the existing one, wondering as he did so if he'd be able to maintain two spells simultaneously. Eragon kept his mind focused on the spells as he launched into the air but he didn't get very high when Shruikan abruptly entered his mind and said, '_I suppose your going to just leave the elf here then.' _Eragon cursed his stupidity as he remembered Arya, whom he had left laying in the grass. Shruikan was standing next to her eying Eragon with an irritated look. Saphira, who had followed Eragon into the air, managed to get to the ground first. Katrina, after putting Garrow into a secure place, climbed off Saphira and lifted Arya onto the saddle with Shruikan's help. Soon they we're all in the air and Roran asked, '_So, Eragon, where are we going? _Eragon really had no idea which way to go. It was very likely that Galbatorix's evil influence would spread quickly to other areas beyond the forest of the elves. Eragon hoped very much that he wouldn't have to fight the elves but knew that if he fought against Galbatorix again, he'd now be fighting the elves.

Eragon looked out across the horizon and thought for a moment about where they could go, when he suddenly remembered Murtagh.  
Murtagh and Thorn had escaped out across the sea, possibly to lands unknown, could they perhaps follow him? Eragon turned to face the airborne group and said, '_We're heading to Teirm, there we'll get a ship and sail across the ocean, after Murtagh.'_ Eragon could feel the concern emitting from more than one person, it was widely known that very few explorers ever returned from an attempt to sail outside of known waters to look for other lands. Those that did return generally spoke of powerful storms that tore masts clean off ships, impossibly long stretches of water in every direction with no sign of land and a winds that seemed to bite at the soul. He knew not how many of these stories were true, but one thing was for certain, it was a huge risk to try and sail away from Alagaesia. Eragon spoke out before anyone could say anything about his plan, '_I know its a large risk, but I know of no other alternative, Galbatorix's evil is unlikely to stay within Du Weldenvarden. When it does eventually spread, no where will be safe. Leaving Alagaesia is risky, but its the only option we have left to us.' _

Though everyone still had doubts about this idea, they all could sense that he was right. Eragon had sensed a flutter of alarm from Saphira, Roran, and Katrina when he had uttered Galbatorix's name, realizing too late that they had not yet been told of his continued existence. _'Yes, its true, Galbatorix is still alive and he is far more powerful now than he ever was. I've no idea how its possible, all I know for sure is that we must leave.' _With this new information revealed to them, all objections faded. Galbatorix had been a terrible tyrant and powerful sorcerer in life, there was no telling how powerful an adversary he could be in death. He already took control over the minds of the elves. It was unlikely his influence would stop there. Eragon turned to face the horizon in the direction of Teirm, he didn't know if they'd get the help they'd need to sail across the sea, but they need to try regardless. So began their long flight toward the coast city, the unknown future approaching them, more terrifying than it had ever been.

Chapter 13 is soon to come I hope your enjoying this story.


	13. Chapter 13

Well here's chapter 13, I'm still keeping with the new element I posted in chapter 10, I hope you enjoy it.  
Pronunciation: Ellari: eh-lar-ee  
Definition: Name used as a whole for the race of animal-men who were born naturally from magic essence.

Disclaimer: I do not own Eragon

Chapter 13

The wind was cold as Eragon and his friends flew threw the air. It had been several hours since they had gotten underway and Eragon was really starting to feel the strain of maintaining two simultaneous spells and his flight against the wind. Saphira had noticed his strain and had added her own strength to his own so that they could cover as much distance as possible before having to land. So it went on, fighting the currents, hold the spells, and flying ever onward. Eragon's scales started to become wet with sweat that immediately froze to his body as the strain started to become to much. "_Saphira, I can't hold on much longer. We must land._" He felt rather than heard her acknowledgment as she steered towards the ground. With several loud thuds the group landed in a small wooded area that had to be several miles away from where they started.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and judging by the many yawns coming from everybody including Saphira, that this rest break was greatly needed. Roran was looking around at the three dragons in the clearing with an unsure expression and it took Eragon a few seconds before he remembered that Roran had not pack any camping gear. He walked over beside his cousin and nudged him gently, "_Roran, you and Katrina can sleep beside me, a dragon's wing provides excellent protection from the_ _elements_." Roran nodded and helped Katrina off of Saphira's back. Saphira looked at Eragon wistfully and he knew why, she wanted to spend time alone with him. He admittedly wanted that too but right at the moment he didn't much have the strength from flying all day. She sighed and settled herself next to him, her tail seeking his own. After a few awkward moments of negotiation everyone was settled, Shruikan lay separate from everyone, Saphira beside Eragon with a wing wrapped around him, and Roran, Katrina, their son, and Arya under Eragon's left wing. Eragon was surprised that Arya hadn't yet woken up but wasn't too concerned with that.

He laid his head next to Saphira's and was asleep within minutes but his dreams were troubled. His mind seemed to slip through the world until once again he looked upon the curios form of the creature from his last dream, the exiled prince Arren. But why? This couldn't possibly be actually happening, this couldn't be like his earliest dreams of Arya, could it? This world that Eragon glimpsed in his dreams contained an impossibility, men with animal features. The prince seemed to be sitting at a table, where Eragon didn't know. He felt that to few this world as he had the first time, he had to succumb completely to sleep and allow his mind to wander. His curiosity got the better of him and his mind opened completely. The world around the wolven prince solidified into an environment that he recognized easily, a tavern. Despite the area, it was oddly quite, until Eragon realized that few people inhabited it. A stout barman, very much human in appearance approached the prince and asked, "So what can I get you?" Arren started a little and focused on the man before saying, "Some of your finest mead if you please." The barman nodded and headed back to the bar, returning a short while later with a flagon of a rich amber liquid and a platter of food. He set them in front of Arren and said, "Its on the house, you look like you've been through a lot, and don't worry about your room charges either, you just rest and relax."

Arren humbly thanked the man for his kindness and began to eat. The room was sparsely filled, an Ellari sat in the far corner, their features and form hidden by the shadows, a few men sat huddled by the fire and the bartender served drinks to three more men sitting at the bar. Arren didn't frequent taverns very often, mostly preferring the quite of an inn or his tent, but he felt that tonight that he should be here, in this smoke filled tavern. He drained the last few drops from his flagon and a waitress came over and filled it up for him, resting her hand lightly on his shoulder. He caught a scent of lilac on her and smiled, the woman's presence alone made his dismal mode elevate. Perhaps the company of this human woman was what called him here. He made to ask her to join him when she moved off toward the four men sitting at the table across from him. Judging by how she giggled at one of their comments she was obviously not a very pure woman. Even though he'd been exiled, his upbringing still was very much apart of his personality. He didn't want a whore, he wanted a decent woman, someone that wouldn't sleep with the first man to give her a good compliment about her body or offer coin. He continued to watch the woman and soon she headed upstairs, telling the barman that she was heading to bed. Sure enough, five minutes later the man who had made her laugh followed.

Arren cursed under his breath as he rested his head in his hands. The question of why he was there frequently flitted into his mind as he downed his mead quickly. All he wanted to do was go to bed and let this dismal day come to an end. In the three days since he'd left the capital, he'd been attacked five times by bandits, three times by magic constructs, and been caught in a blizzard that had lasted for six hours. He was sore, tired, and miserable. He heard the barman approach and waved him away idly before cupping his head in his hands again. The sound of the door opening again caught his attention and he looked up to see who had entered. Seven armed men walked in, three ellari and four humans. Being armed wasn't unusual, that they didn't take a seat at any of the tables or the bar was. They made their way purposefully across the room and stood in front the table directly behind Arren, the one occupied by the ellari that Arren hadn't identified. The lead among the group spoke in a whisper that was never the less heard, "You owe your last employer money, the target survived." Arren gleamed more from this sentence than he had from his glance over his shoulder. These men were hired muscle and the one they spoke to was an assassin. Arren was keenly aware of the danger with presenting ones back to an assassin and subconsciously fidgeted as he continued to listen to whats was going on behind him. He heard a clear feminine scoff from behind him, "He won't be for long, I injected him with a slow acting venom, it manifests as a heart attack. It'll make it appear that it was a tragic accident. I am not paying you anything."

One of the humans of the group knocked over a chair and put his hands threateningly on the table and said, "Well that's too bad, because we've been instructed to take back the money, from your lifeless body if necessary." Another man chimed in with, "Well, after we're through playing that is." Arren knew enough from that tone what these men had in mind and he wasn't going to allow it. He gripped the hilts of his twin blades tightly and waited to see if this would escalate. It did, three of the men grabbed her and tried to pull her from her chair. She snapped up from her chair alright, out of it and straight over the table onto the shoulder of the ellari directly across from her. She gave a sharp twist that filled the air with a horrendous snap and used the momentum to spin around and throw three throwing knives at one of the men who had grabbed her. Two bodies thudded to the floor as she stood there in the full light. She was a panthress, her fur black and smooth as she stood there eying the five remaining men, She took a hold of the clasps of her cloak and undid them, her cloak falling to the ground to reveal truly magnificent armor that glinted in the light. Arren knew this armor and apparently so did the men, it belong to an assassin's order that was among the most prodigious and also told of her rank, a master. She took one of the throwing knives off a sheath on her arm and said, "I hope you know what your getting in to before you try and attack me again." The men apparently did but were obviously more scarred of their master than they were of her. They looked at each other and then rushed her all at the same time. She smiled and threw the knife at the man to her left before stabbing a hidden wrist blade into the throat of the guy behind her.

She grabbed another man by the hair, using his own sword to cleave another of the men's head in half before snapping his neck. The fifth man sprinted straight past her to the door. She flipped the blade in her hand over and threw it across the room. It whistled through the air before thudding into the escaping man's back. He crumpled to the ground and moved no more. She turned back toward her table and moved one of the corpses off of it before sitting back down as if nothing had happened. Arren was impressed with this woman's skill. She had taken out seven men with little effort. Arren headed off the barman who was heading angrily to the panthress and handed him a pouch of gold as compensation for the bodies and state of the bar. The barman nodded and proceeded to remove the corpses from the bar. Arren walked over toward the woman who looked up at him cautiously but said nothing. Arren sat down across from her and cleared his throat before politely introducing himself, "I am Arren, its nice to met you miss?" She didn't answer immediately, either from caution or confusion. Eventually she smiled and said, "I am Mena."  
Arren smiled back, he'd been so forward with his introduction, mainly to get it over with, that he hadn't considered what he'd do if she responded aggressively. Mena seemed to be sizing him up as her eyes roved over him, taking note of his mythril plate mail and twin blades. She eventually asked, "You are the exiled prince are you not?" Arren was taken aback by this, his exile had been private, only the King and his village knew of it. He didn't ask how she knew this but nodded none the less. "I had expected you to habit a more respectful place then this, what brings you here?" Mena was obviously a sharp woman, something that Arren found refreshing, he sighed and said, "I'm on an important mission, from the king, something just told me I needed to come here." The assassin frowned and said, "Odd, something called me here as well, perhaps we were to meet. What quest is this?" Arren smiled as he explained, having help on this mission, especially from a Master Assassin would be a great boon.

Eragon jolted awake when a loud cry pierced his sleep.  
Eragon was still confused as he looked blearily around and saw Arya, wide awake at last, trying to back up into a tree, brandishing Brisingr at Shruikan who was sitting there with an amused look on his face. "_Shruikan, stop scarring Arya!" _Shruikan's laughter entered into Eragon's mind as he responded, "_I can't help it rider, my appearance alone is causing it._" Saphira looked over at Arya with an annoyed look and said irritably, "_Eragon, make that elf be silent._" Eragon, slightly surprised by Saphira's irritation moved over to Arya and contacted her mind. Arya was so afraid that her mind was like a fortress of chaos but he somehow managed to break through and said, "_Arya, be calm, Shruikan is on our side now._" Arya's eyes went wider than before when this new dragon spoke with Eragon's voice. After a few moment of stunned silence she finally lowered the blade and hesitantly asked, "Eragon, you are a dragon?" Eragon dipped his head in acknowledgment and said, "It would take a while to explain, so if you'd please calm down a little more, I'll tell you the whole story."

Arya glanced back at Shruikan and slowly nodded. Eragon sighed huffily to himself and proceeded to tell Arya of all that had happened, from the journey too the spirit plane, to the return of Galbatorix, to the flight from Ellesméra. It took over an hour to tell the whole story and Arya listened without interruption. Finally Arya looked at Eragon and asked, "Did any others make it out of Du Weldenvarden?" Eragon knew what she meant and sadly shook his head, "_I'm afraid not, you are the only elf that is free of Galbatorix._" Arya nodded in understanding and walked over to Eragon, proceeding to pat his neck and thank him for his honesty. When Arya put her hand on Eragon's neck Saphira let out a menacing growl the like of which Eragon had rarely heard. Arya was taken aback by this and quickly removed her hand from Eragon's scaled neck, looking curiously at Saphira. After looking from Saphira to Eragon and back again, she understood what it was. She bowed to Saphira and said, "Saphira, I've no intention to take Eragon from you, He and I are friends alone, nothing more I promise you."

Saphira eyed Arya for a moment before nudging her gently and saying, "_I believe you_ _but for now, we should continue to rest, we've barely been asleep an hour._" Arya nodded and took shelter under Saphira's wing while Eragon returned to Saphira's side. As Eragon settled next to his mate she nudge him and asked, "_So, who were those creatures from your dream?_" Eragon wasn't surprised that she knew and said, "_Not now Saphira, I'll tell you what I know after we sleep._" Saphira nodded and curled up next to Eragon and within a few minutes, both were fast asleep.

Well there you are, I hope you enjoyed it.


	14. Chapter 14

**I am back, I apologize for the long wait, I wanted to break from the story for a bit, and refresh myself. I bring you the 14th chapter and I hope you enjoy it and as usual, Eragon, and all aforementioned characters, places, and events of the books are entirely the property of Christopher Paolini, the event of this story and OC characters are of my own invention and do not play on other fanfics, any similarities are coincidence. With that out of the way, enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Eragon slowly opened his eyes and the light of the noon day sun hit them. He winced at the glare and lifted his head to look around. Every single one of his friends...and Shruikan, were sleeping soundly in the small camp site they had set up. He was slightly surprised that none of his companions had stirred as of yet but he wasn't about to complain, he didn't need any of them passing out on the way to Teirm. His mind had been formulating ideas on how to get off the continent before he'd fallen asleep again and he had deduced that they were going to have to get a large ship, or several for a voyage out to sea.

There was no way that they would be able to journey the whole distance by air without resting and Eragon had no idea if there were any islands from here to whatever lands that lay beyond that they could rest at. He shook his head and lifted his wings to allow some cool air in beside him, something he was sure Roran and Katrina would appreciate.  
After stretching languidly he rose to his feet and turned towards Saphira to wake her, when a familiar female voice spoke out from an area beside Shruikan, "Well, its about time you woke up, I was beginning to wonder if you'd cast a sleep spell on everyone including yourself."

Eragon let out a dragon's snort of laughter and turned his gaze to Angela the herbalist who was sitting cross legged by a long dead camp fire next to Shruikan, the werecat Solembum sitting next to her with his tail twitching back an forth impassively. Eragon thought for a moment and then used his magic to shift back to human form, casting also a spell to quickly dress himself with clothes from inside Saphira's saddle bags. Once dressed and comfortable, Eragon sat across from the herbalist and said,  
"Good to see you escaped Galbatorix and you too Solembum."  
Angela nodded and said as she casually stirred the long dead coals, "Oh it'll take more than he's got to control me, or maybe not, I haven't had to deal with beings of his power in a long while."

Angela tossed the stick she was using to poke the non existent fire down onto the coals and asked, "Does the spirit plane's power suit you Eragon?"  
Eragon reasoned that Solembum probably told her about his little foray into the spirit plane and nodded in response to her question.  
Angela nodded simply and said, "Well of course it does, barely had it a week before you mated with your own dragon did you?"  
Eragon flushed at this and changed the subject so as not to have to answer. Her smile made him feel certain that his tactic to avoid the subject confirmed her suspicions.  
She scratched Solembum behind the ears for a few seconds before asking, "So Eragon, anything interesting happen lately?"

Eragon raised an eyebrow at her, how could she not know of all that had been happening in the last few days, well... there was one thing she wasn't aware of, and it was still something he'd been meaning to ask about. Eragon shifted a little in place and said, "Well, there is one thing I've been wondering about that happened to Saphira and I."  
Angela looked at him curiously and said, "Well spit it out, I'm not going to bite you."

Eragon sighed and retold of their flight from Uru'Baen, of the mystical white dragon they had encountered and his apparent strange powers.  
As he described the event Angela's face grew more and more agitated until he finally finished and she burst out, "Oh that pious overbearing toad, I mean frog! He chooses now of all times to intervene with the circumstances of the world." Eragon gaped at her, she already knew about the dragon, and apparently on a better basis than Eragon did.  
"You know him? Why didn't you tell me there was a dragon that powerful out there, we could have used his help!"

Angela scowled and said, "I wish he had, Oromis might still be alive, in fact this whole blasted war might have been averted. But he said, 'No, mortals can take care of themselves, they abandoned us, why should we help them." Angela froze here with a look of profound horror on her face before she brought her hand to her face and said, "Oh barzul! You idiot, why did you have to go and say that?!"  
Eragon just stared at her, he had only one conclusion as to what she meant when she said that, "Angela, what did you mean by that? Are you a deity of sorts?"

Angela let her hand slide off her face and shrugged, "I suppose you could call me that, or rather I was. About two millenia ago, I became mortal in order to help mortals and to learn as one, I have to admit, I enjoy it." Eragon was having a hard time processing this but in a lot of ways it made sense, her curious nature, immense age, enormous power, and extensive knowledge about nearly everything.

He shook his head and looked to Solembum who seemed to be unaffected by this news. He simply lifted his paw and began cleaning it as if this revelation of Angela's was completely normal. Eragon looked back at Angela and asked, "Why would you keep this a secret from us, we are your friends after all."  
Angela shook her head and said, "It was never a matter of friendship, I just felt that you didn't particularly need to know, what good would the knowledge of what I use to be have been to you?" Eragon looked blankly at her and thought for a moment about how to answer as Angela whispered in the ancient language and caused the stick that she'd thrown on the coals to glow white hot before exploding with a loud crack and being consumed in flames in a matter of seconds.

Eragon had jumped at the noise and apparently so had everyone else as several noises of alarm and some swearing issued from many in the camp site. Eragon chuckled softly to himself before reclining a little, resting on his arms as he asked, "So this dragon, who is he?"  
Angela frowned a little as she stared at the white hot coals of the stick, a slight pause preceded her answer. "He is Vaetaren as humans would call him, the creator of dragons, deserts, and mountains. I can't tell you what the elves would call him, ever since they were gifted with magic, the name they had for him and the word for god in general faded from their tongue."

She shifted slightly, relieving her legs from the crossed position they'd being in into a more relaxed position before continuing,  
"The truth of the world creation was scattered among all the lesser races, as all our original teachings on the matter to them were lost in the centuries, though few still remembered us, most others created their own mythos to explain the mysteries of the world, as you have noticed, the races of the land all have different gods and all for different reasons. We of the elders, that is the makers of the world, slowly faded from memory until all that was left of what we had built lay crushed beneath the weight of time."

Angela shook her head and dropped back onto her back, placing her arms behind her head and sighing, "How long its being since I spoke of this..."  
Eragon continued to watch her for a few more minutes before a warm dragon's tongue slid across his neck, making him jump in alarm. He heard Saphira's laughter in his head and replied, "_Good Morning to you too dearest, please don't scare me like that again._"  
Saphira lay her head down on the ground next to him, showing him an innocent sapphire eye as she replied, "_I can't help it Eragon, you've awoken a new beast in me, I can't help but show you my affections._"

Eragon smiled to himself and rubbed the top of her head gently, which caused her to let out a deep reverberating purr that vibrated the ground beneath him. He enjoyed being able to please Saphira like this, and even more pleased by the fact that he alone was allowed to do so. A side effect of the transformation he'd gained was the fact that his skin had toughened significantly and was now no longer damaged by her tongue when she licked him, which was a nice thing. He was also fairly confident that he'd gained some resistance to fire and heat but he had no desire to test it just now.

Moments later Roran grasped his shoulder as he dropped down next to Eragon with a friendly good morning. Eragon nodded at him and asked, "Rest well last night?"  
Roran nodded and said as he picked up a piece of wood off the ground and set in the coals, "Yeah, a fair bit hotter under a dragon's wing than I anticipated, it also was strange that it was my cousin who was the dragon."

Roran seemed to reflect on this and then shook his head with a look of bewilderment, but said nothing more until Katrina and their son joined them moments later. Saphira smiled at the family and then nuzzled Eragon, whispering into his mind, "_Just think, that will soon be us._"  
Eragon smiled broadly as he put his arm around Saphira's jaw, rubbing against the side of her head and said, "_I certainly hope so, to be a father, its something I've always wanted._" Saphira hummed gently and closed her eyes, loving the affections and words that her rider and mate gave her. She knew that there was no way that they would not become parents, by her own heart and deep love of Eragon she knew that they were successful in creating their first children, only time would deliver the conformation of this fact.

After several silent moments in which Roran retrieved a cooking pot and some food, to make a breakfast for himself and Katrina, Arya finally graced the assembly, looking somewhat dishevelled and red eyed. Eragon looked worriedly at her as she sat down cautiously in the only clear spot of this circle of friends, right next to Shruikan, who though awake had said nothing to anyone of the group. He did smirk slightly as Arya sat down next to him as though he were demon spawn and would strike her down at any moment. After a few moments she seemed to gain a little of her composure and she said, "So, what are we planning from here?"

Eragon looked at her curiously, he had never once seen her this unkempt, well, of her own free will that is. She looked as though she had not slept at all, dark circles were just visible under her eyes, her hair was a tangled mess that looked to have a few twigs caught in it here or there, and she looked as though she had just recently recovered from a severe illness. Eragon opened his mouth to inquire about her well being when she raised a hand and forestalled him, "I am fine Eragon, its nothing I can't cope with. Now please tell me what our next move is."

Eragon hesitated for a moment before nodding in understanding, whatever she was dealing with, she'd tell him when she was ready.  
After Roran and Katrina finished eating and Katrina nursed Garrow, did Eragon finally clear his throat and say, "Well, now we are all ready, I'll get to the plan I came up with."  
He looked at all his companions before continuing, "As we all know, Galbatorix has cheated death and used his new found powers to enslave the elves, those of whom were his greatest threat. Now I have no idea how much power he has, but I for one have no intention of sticking around to learn how great it stretches."

He looked into the newly made fire and contemplated what to say. There were many things he felt that needed to be said, of his bizarre dreams, the possibility of lands out across the sea, and of the need to gather help from those that were not under Galbatorix's heel. After a moments deliberation he decided to tell them of the basics of his plan. Eragon looked back up at his friends and said, "I believe that our best chances of staying safe are to travel to Teirm and obtain a barge or ship of sorts, or even numerous ships with which to sail out across the sea."

Well that got him a few shocked stares, from just about everybody in the group, Shruikan included. Forestalling all questions he laid out the outlines of his reasoning, of the uncertainty of Galbatorix's powers, and of how far they may stretch, of the need to find Murtagh and Thorn, who had flown out across the sea themselves and recruit their help, and of the need to find new lands in which to prepare for the fight against Galbatorix, should his power spread beyond the woods of Du Weldenvarden.  
When he'd finished lining out the information, a heavy silence fell on the group as they all digested this information.  
After a full ten minutes Roran finally said, "Blast it, I'd hoped to never get on a ship for as long as I lived, but I can see no fault in your logic, there is too much uncertainty with our current situation to risk staying, and I for one will not allow either Katrina or my son to suffer under that mad man."  
Eragon nodded at him as Roran put an arm around Katrina and gave her a little squeeze.

Eragon next looked to Angela, who shrugged and said, "I've been with you since the Farthen Dur, Eragon, I'm not about to let a great expanse of water stop me now." Solembum fidgeted nervously but said nothing as Eragon's gaze shifted next to Arya, who sighed when his gaze alighted on her.  
She looked him in the eyes and said, "Eragon, what do you expect me to say, I have no home nor family to return to. If leaving the land of Alagaesia behind is the only way we can find a way to destroy Galbatorix once and for all, then I will follow you."

Shruikan shifted a little and to Eragon's surprise found him staring at Arya with a look that could only be described as pity.  
Shruikan sighed and said, "_Elfling, I understand your pain, but as Eragon has said, if we stay we risk losing ourselves to Galbatorix, and I'll sooner die than allow that to happen again, so I will follow you rider._"

Eragon nodded and looked to Saphira who bore a slight look of fear, one of the rarest of her emotions, "_Eragon, I trust you in this and will follow you to the ends of the world, but I fear that we may be unable to get the transportation or food we will need for your plan."_

Eragon frowned, the same thoughts had occurred to him, but they had no other choice in the matter, no matter where they went in Alagaesia, Galbatorix was sure to find them, and therefore, they had no choice but to leave Alagaesia for good. The prospect did not make him happy, but at least then they would survive and be free. Eragon shook his head and continued to work out the details with his friends until well into the afternoon, one thing was for sure, this was in no way going to be easy.

**I hope you enjoyed it, I'll get to Chapter 15 soon.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, so here's chapter 15, I really loved writing this one so tell me how I did****A.N: I do not own the inheritance cycle**

Chapter 15

Eragon's wings burned with tiredness. It was roughly two days since they had pitched camp and all agreed that sailing across the ocean to lands unknown was the best plan. During this time they had flown near non stop, stopping only to eat and relieve themselves. Despite the enormous exertions that they had been under, they couldn't stop flying.  
On several occasions, they had seen remnants of Galbatorix's armies, seeming to be rallying once again. Eragon didn't know if they were simply trying to spite the new king or if they were forming up under the banner of Galbatorix once again. Either situation didn't bode well and as there were three dragon's flying towards the coast, the odds of them being seen were extraordinarily high. Shruikan had suggested that Eragon, Arya, and Angela all cast spells of concealment around the whole group, so they could travel undetected across the land but the energy requirements didn't bear thinking about.

Eragon tried to ignore his burning shoulders but there was no ignoring the pain. As the hours stretched on for eternity, something all together alarming happened when his right wing seized up on him, causing him to tumble through the air towards the ground. Roran, who was riding again on Eragon, let out a bellowed oath that was all together drowned out by the alarmed screech of Saphira who dove after him. He saw the ground hurtling toward him at alarming speed, his right wing frozen in place, all though, not for long as a powerful buffet of wind snapped the bone and tore the muscles. Saphira's screech only intensified as she locked both wings to her body and plummeted like a stone towards the ground. Eragon felt his body slow as two female voices called out in the ancient language, the spells gripping his body and slowing his decent. He soon too felt Saphira's claws around his hind legs as she opened her wings and decelerated, the pain in his shoulder intensifying as Saphira strained with the effort of stopping him.

Finally, after two long moments, Eragon felt the ground under him again with a soft bump, with Eragon trying not to exacerbate his wing more than it already was. Saphira flew around him and landed with a thud on the ground beside him, running over and nudging his face gently. Her worry was palpable to him but he assured her that he was alright, attempting vainly to rise to his feet. She whined gently as she nudged his ruined wing, doing her best to shield him from his pain. Arya jumped off of Saphira's back while Roran slowly slid off of Eragon's, looking like he was about to be sick.

Arya walked over toward Eragon and carefully examined the wing, a look of concern on her face while Saphira looked on helplessly, trying not to whine one growl as Arya slowly poked and prodded the wing. It wasn't long after Arya began examining him that Shruikan landed with a boom behind the group looking on as Angela climbed down off of him, moving swiftly over towards the small group clustered around Eragon. When both Angela and Arya were present, they simultaneously cast the spell to mend Eragon's wing, the bone snapping back into position and mending along with the muscle. After flexing his wings experimentally, he folded them back to his body and thanked the two of them. Eragon looked back down to Roran and asked, "_Are you alright?"_

Roran nodded and pulled a small bag from around his shoulders that Eragon assumed carried what few supplies he'd managed to grab before fleeing Du Weldenvarden. To his surprise however, he saw the emerald green dragon egg that Izlanzadi had given him. Roran pulled the green egg out and examined it carefully, nodding after a moment in satisfaction before placing it back in the bag, turning to Saphira and helping his bride off of Saphira's back, Katrina looking to be very relieved to be back on the ground. Eragon shifted back into human form and rolled his shoulder experimentally, before leaning against Saphira's leg, his body utterly spent by the exertions of the past couple of days, Saphira's low humming audible as she rested her head beside his leg, a single sapphire blue eye gazing up at him, sparkling gently in the light of the setting sun. He placed a hand on her head and rubbed it gently, assuring her silently of his well being.

He had very rarely felt such fear and worry from her, and now that he had almost been killed by this most recent event, he started to worry about the love of his heart and soul. Whether he accepted or not, he was more fragile and delicate than Saphira was, a fact mitigated by his ability to become a dragon, but even then, his inexperience and carelessness had nearly killed him. Sighing gently, he leaned against her, his eyes dropping from fatigue, many of the others yawning or grumbling from the past couple of day's efforts to reach Teirm.

Before Eragon could succumb to his waking dreams, Shruikan's voice entered into his mind with the usual abruptness,  
"_Rider, I suppose one of us must keep watch. If not, then surely you would cast spells to alert us to an enemy!"  
_Eragon's face soured as he concentrated on his magic and uttered a few simple words in the ancient language to alert them to the presence of those with hostile intent. He felt what little energy he had diminish and settled up against Saphira, noticing how comfortable her body felt, he grinned as his mind slipped into his waking dreams, many of them filled with Saphira. His rest was peaceful, his mind finding Saphira's resting mind and caressing it with his love. He felt her mind return the touch, caressing his mind gently, sharing her thoughts and feelings with him. He marvelled at how they could communicate like this, even when at rest. A sense of contentment fell over him and he eventually succumbed completely to sleep.

Hours Later

A screeching filled Eragon's ears, high pitched and grating.

Eragon jerked awake suddenly, yelling out the word to cease the noise. What he saw made his gut wrench, a group of mercenaries, some wearing old, grime stained uniforms of the empire, were standing in the middle of the small group, all of them staring at Eragon with manic grins. Panic gripped him as he leapt to his feet summoning his magic to slay all of the men in an instant. A red blur flashed by him and Eragon was lifted off his feet as a sharp pain caught his ribs. Somewhere in the blackness he heard some one he hoped was Arya yelling in the ancient language. He heard a dragon roar that he recognized as Saphira's and prayed that she was all right. When he finally landed he could smell ale on the breath of the man who had pinned him with unnatural strength and he struggled against him, ramming him in the ribs with his elbow, feeling bones crunch under the blow.

The man seemed not to care as he spat blood on Eragon's face as he lifted Eragon to his feet, turning him back towards the group of soldiers. Eragon's blood boiled at what he saw; Saphira, bound to the ground by thick iron chains that had been summoned into being be a tall red haired man who was grinning evilly. Eragon knew what this creature was before he even turned his unnatural violet eyes on Eragon. Before the shade could do more than open his mouth Eragon shouted, "Eka weohnata ono vergarí, eka thäet otherúm!" The Shade scowled and nodded to the man holding Eragon, who kicked at his knee forcing Eragon down to the ground. The Shade stepped forward and bent over in front of Eragon, smiling broadly with his demonic grin before saying, "I very much doubt it Shadeslayer. You see, you are at a disadvantage it seems. Not only have I bound your dragon, but the elfling, the elder dragon, and the humans as well. You are out numbered and outmatched."

Eragon spat defiantly into the shade's face as he struggle to wrench his arm free of the soldier holding him. The shade snarled and wiped the spit from his eye before punching Eragon across the face, causing his head to snap sideways, feeling as though a sledgehammer had hit him. Eragon's vision darkened slightly as the shade gripped his jaw and turned his head towards him, his sharp toothed smile shining in the darkness. Eragon had one final defiant action left in him as he reached for his transformation, intending to turn into the dragon he could be and destroy the shade with his dragon fire. As he touched the power within him, a sudden wave of lightning like pain arced through him, burning every fiber in his being with pain. Saphira's screech was felt audibly and mental as she thrust out for Eragon's mind, trying to wrap it in her own and shield him from his pain, each attempt deflected with ease by the shade.

Finally, after one agonizing moment, the pain stopped and Eragon slumped against the soldiers grip. The shade's smile widened as he leaned in and whispered,  
"You think me a fool Shadeslayer, that I wouldn't know of your trip into the spirit realm, the realm that I and those who make me called home? I know of your new power, and I won't allow you the use of it."  
The shade gripped his face harder as he turned away from him, walking over to Saphira, placing a hand upon her snout eliciting a menacing growl from her. He grinned evil as he looked back at Eragon and said wickedly, "I wonder, perhaps she would enjoy the company of a true dragon, dark, tall, and stronger than you."  
He glanced over meaningfully at Shruikan, who was lashed down with far thicker chains than Saphira, his enraged growl shaking the ground as he tried to wrench the chains off of him. Eragon's vision sharpened greatly as he glared at the shade as he cackled evilly before finishing,  
"Perhaps even she could become the slattern that she was always meant to be."

Eragon's vision nearly went red as his rage broke.  
With a scream that echoed the dragon within him, he pulled his arms forward with all his might, tearing the arms of the man holding them clean from the soldiers torso. The soldier screamed in alarm as Eragon stood to his feet and called out a spell that summoned Brisngr to him. With a a whistling, the blue blade flew into his hand and he spun in a graceful arc, beheading the armless soldier behind him before standing ready in front of the remaining soldiers. The shade snarled and commanded the soldiers to kill Eragon with a sharp command in the ancient language. The group of soldiers charged forward as one and Eragon swung brisingr in a graceful swing, hacking off the head of one soldier before bringing the blade upward through another, the two halves of the body falling to the ground with a solid thud.

A soldier managed to duck past another swing of the blade and brought his own sword around to strike Eragon who was forced to catch the blade with brisingr's cross guard, punching another soldier on the breastbone of another soldier, his entire ribcage cracking apart from the blow, the soldier collapsing soundlessly to the ground. With his foot and magic he kicked a sword into the air and directed it into the head of the soldier beside him, the blade flying clean through and striking the soldier behind him. A small piercing pain pricked Eragon's side and he snarled as he twisted to the left, preventing the blade from hitting any vital organs and killing the attacker with one fell blow to the skull. The soldiers were scattered now, only about six of them remaining and Eragon had spotted an opening, he ran forward and dropped into a crouching spin in mid stride, slicing at the soldiers hamstrings and abdomens in one twisting movement.

At the end of his twist, he let out a powerful bellow and leapt off the ground, every muscle in his legs and stomach screaming in protest at the unnatural shift, his body flying over the falling soldiers with Brisngr angled point first at the shade. The shade was ready for him, though not entirely for as the shade drew his blade and thrust it upward into Eragon's chest so to did Brisngr sink into the shade's heart and into five inches of air beyond. The shade screamed and writhed in agony as his body began dissipating and finally with a final howl, the monster was no more. The hilt of the shade's sword fell to the ground with a dull thud, followed by Eragon hitting his knees, the pale blade of the shade had pierced his lung, mere inches away from his heart and was sticking out his back, much like how Eragon's attack had wounded the shade. He felt Saphira's mind finally get through to his as the magic that bound them faded and it wasn't long before he thundering feet could be heard as she quickly closed the gap between them and caught Eragon as he slumped back against her.

He was dying, and he knew it, he couldn't seem to focus or reach for the power that could save him. He looked into Saphira's sparkling eyes the few tears he'd ever seen sliding down her cheeks as she stared at him. He felt only love from her, love and love alone. Though she had every right to be angry or scared, all she could think about was him. His eyes fluttered gently before half closing when a sudden slap to his face started him with a jerk. He looked down to see Angela pulling the blade from his chest and Arya quickly pressed her hands to his wound, chanting in the ancient language, his flesh mending under the spells work.

Angela threw the blade off into the darkness before turning back to Eragon and saying, "Now, you weren't thinking about dying over a little pin prick were you?"  
Eragon chuckled feebly and shook his head as he sat up a little straighter, turning his head back towards Saphira, and wiping a tear from her eyes. He felt her relief flow into him, mixed with anger at his recklessness but mostly relief. Finally after Arya finished intoning her spells she straightened up stiffly and said,  
"There, that should do for now, you have no idea how luck you are, his blade missed you own heart by an inch."

Eragon sighed and shook his head, looking back at the dead and dying. Resting here was out of the question, not now and they certainly couldn't stay here, if a shade could appear at random now, there was no telling how many more might come. They had to keep going not stopping until the seas greeted them. With a reassuring pat on Saphira's snout, he shifted back into dragon form and they soon were underway once more.

**Like it? I hope so because chapter 16 is coming :D**


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